A Sermonde made before the King, his majesty at grenewiche, upon good friday. The year of our Lord God. M. D. xxxviij. By Iohn Longlonde, bishop of Lincoln.  
Ad gloriam Christi, & ad memoriam gloriosae passionis eius.  
Cum Privilegio ad imprimendum solum.   

ALL christian people ought this day especial above all the days in the year, to have in their devout remembrance the glorious passion of our saviour jesus Chryst. And to show themselves priest and ready, ready to suffer & to crucify themselves with Christ, as well in spirit as in flesh, as well in soul as in body. To crucify themselves. I mean, to afflict the spirit & soul with an inward remorse, with an inward remembrance of their own wretched lives: every one to consider their own sinful deeds. Their sins to be so great & abominable, that it was necessary for Chryst the son of God to suffer and die for it. To consider that nothing in this world could purge nor cleanse us from sin, but the only blood of Chryst, his only Passion and death. And in this remembrance, to crucify our spirits, to mourn and lament, to weep and sorrow our said sins, which were the cause why christ did suffer, which were the very cause of this his most pityous painful Passion and death. We ought also this day to crucify, to afflict, and punish our bodies, with exterior and outward afflictions: with bodily pains and penances. As I do not doubt, but many good christian people hath done both this last night and this day also. This night passed I say, both inwardly and outwardly. Inwarly, by inward devout remembrance, how and what Passions Chryst suffered this night and day for us. How that this night after he had eat the Paschal lamb with his disciples, after that he had ministered his most holy precious body and blood to them and washed their feet: how he went in to the mount and there prayed unto god the father, a prolix, a long, a devout & dolorous prayer: three times desiring his father to put away that bloody chalice, that deathly cup, that painful Passion, that panguyous death. At which prayer his mind was appalled, his soul was panguyde, his body was discomfited, his nature was decayed, his heart full of sorrow, his mind so wonderfully troubled, that all his nature of the manhood so horribly was dismayed, that he fell in a sweat, and sweat water and blood, blood & water: by that to show his great panguys & pains, both of soul and body, both inwardly and outwardly. And in this pityous devout remembrances, they have had I doubt not, much pity & compassion on the same.  
They have also devoutly remembered I trust, how that he thrice rose from his devout & prolix prayer, & yoode to his three disciples, Peter, james and Iohn. And how he found them a sleep, & said to Peter, Petre dormis? Non potuisti una hora vigilare mecum? Peter, o Peter, thou that didst promise so lately to die with me, and now sleepest? I being in this trance & at hand to be taken? O Peter, how wouldest thou suffer & die with me, & kanst not hold up thy heed nor waake with me one hour? What not one hour Peter? They have remembered also I doubt not, how Chryst went voluntaryly toward that Traitor judas, and willingly did meet him, and the jews which came to take him. And how he asked judas & his company, whom they sought, for in deed they knew him not. And showed to them that he was he, that he was Christ, that he was jesus of Nazareth whom they sought: & how he amaased them, & threw them by his secret power down to the ground: & suffered them twice to arise & then to know him, then to take him, to bind him, to hale & lug him from post to pillar, and all spiteful ways to handle him. And how they brought him tofore three judges, and was before everich of them falsely accused, bringing against him false testamonye, untrue witness, blasphemously at the last crying, Reus est mortis, crucifigatur. He is guilty, worthy to die. Crucify him, Crucify him. They bond him to a pillar, & bet him with sharp scourges and rods, not leaving in his most blessed body any hole place from top to too, from the top of his heed, to the soles of his feet. platting with great violence a hard sharp crown of thorn on his heed, piercing it to the skull, blyndf●●lded him, spitting spitefully in his most blessed visage, and with their fists and hard reeds beat him about that most blessed heed and face, which the Angels, and beats of heaven desireth afore allthings to behold. putting a reed in his hand in stead of a sceptre, mockeshly and scornfully kneeling before him & striking him, said: Tell us who struck the now? And who struck the now? And who was that? And who was this? With such mockyshe villainous words and deeds. And when he was thus dault with, they put upon him a garment of Purple in mockadge, & was had out in Pretorium, into the yield hall afore the multitude of the jues. And they saying him thus appareled, thus scourged, thus defaced and beet, cried, crucify him, Crucify him, he is guilty, he is worthy to die. And in conclusion to satisfy the cruel appetites of the jews, he was condemned unto the death: to the death of the cross, which cross was laid upon him, and bore the same most part through the city to the place of his Passion, & there was crucified, & there was set a high, so to be seen & wondered on of all the people.  
And there ayayne he was newly had in dirysyon, and gave him aisel and Gall, deryding and scornfully mocking him with scoffing & scornful words till he was dead. And then they thrust a spear to his heart. Wherewith ran out water and blood in our redemption. All this with many more things, many of you good christian people, have had in your special and most devout remembrances this night past and this day: sorrowing in yourselves to remember, that ye and we were the very cause of his death, and why he thus suffered.  
How damnable then and how great were our sins, for the which it was necessary for Chryst to suffer and die? and so to wash us in his most precious blood? And by these and such other like devout contemplations, to have remorse in our souls, sorrowing our sins, repenting our ill livings, calling to god for mercy, having inward sorrow and contrition, lamenting and weeping every one upon himself. And though it be percase not pleasant unto you long to tarry, because ye have this night & day under this manner, wearied your minds in such devout contemplations, revolving in your hearts this panguyous Passion of Chryst: and your bodies with watch and prayer, hearing the word of god this day ones, a hearing divine service, with kneelings already & with prostrations to the ground, knocking your breasts, holding down your heads in a mourning fashion, weriing also the body with these & other afflictions, with great and long abstinence, fasting & other many ways, every man severally after his most secret and inward devotion: Yet this day let us take more pain than we would do in other days. It cometh but oons in the year. And one thing shall I assure you of, though your pains shall be thought moche, yet your merit and reward shall be moche more.  
Let us therefore so order ourselves, that god may see the fervent desires of our souls. Let him see our hearts & loves we bear towards him. Let him see & perceive how diligently we do endeavour ourselves all the ways we can, to do & speak that that may be to the high honour laud & glory of him & of this his most glorious Passion. And to this purpose and end, and that we may the more inwardly be stirred to devotion, and love towards our saviour Chryst: I desire you all to help with your devout prayers.  
OREMUS.  
THAT we may the more commodyously now proceed in that we have prayed for, I will take my ground to speak upon, the words of th'apostle which he writeth unto the hebrews in his xiii. Chapit where he considereth and maketh mention of two solemnities, of two high solemn feastis. 
duo 〈◊〉  One of the old law, another of the new law. That of the old law, was the figure: that of the new law, was the verity▪ That of the old law, was the shadow: that of the new law, was the body. That of the old law did but signify the feast of the new law: that of the new law was the self same feast, the truth, the verity figured in the old law. That of the old law was called Festum Propiciationis, 
Festum propiciat●●onis.  the feast of Propiciatyon or of mercy, the feast in which by the sacrifice done on that day, the people were purged from certain immundicyes and uncleanness, and brought in to the favour of god. The feast of the new law, is called Festum redemptionis, the solemnity, or feast of redemption. 
Festum redemptionis.  On which day we all, ye all mankind, was redemede, washed, cleansed, purged, saynctifyed and justified from all our sins: brought and reconciled into the favour of god by the sacrify that was that day offered. And as the course of the year goeth about, this is the day. The day of redemption, the day of propitiation, the day of mercy and of reconciliation, the day that Chryst offered up himself for us.  

Hebre. ●●3.  The words of the Apostle are these, Habemus altare de quo edere non habent potestatem qui tabernaculo deseruiunt. Quorum enim animalium infertur sanguis pro peccato, in sancta, per pontificem: horum corpora cremantur extra castra. Propter quod, & JESUS extra portam passus est. Exeamus igitur ad cum extra castra, improperium eius portantes. These are the words of the apostle, many things contrived in few words. And the english thereof is this: We have an altar. We have an altar (saith the apostle:) an altar, and a sacrifice upon this altar. And they that serveth the tabernacle, may not eat of this altar, may not eat of the sacrifice that is offered upon this altar. For the Apostle here (per metonimia) doth put the altar for that that is sacrificed upon the altar. The blood of those beasts that were sle●●ne for the sacrifice, was brought in to the holy secret high place of the temple where the ark was, between the high altar (as ye will say) & the veil, by the bishop, & there offered up for the sin of the people. The bodies of the beastis that were burned without the pavilions or tents, for the which, Propter quod, for which what? for the fulfilling of which mystery. Also to verify and fulfil the figure, and that the thing figured, mought be corespondente to the figure, jesus suffered without the gate, to sanctify the people by his blood. Let us go out therefore & suffer with Chryst, bearing his obprobries & rebukes. 
Altar. Sacrificium. Pontifex Tabernaculum. Seruiti●● in tacer-Sāgu●●s. Sancta sanctorum Corpora a●●alium· Ignis. Castra. Decemdies. Mensis septimus  These be the words of the apostle now taken.  
I will by the help of our Lord god, declare these words in order, even as they do stand. Here is an altar, here is a sacrifice, here is a bishop which did offer this sacrifice, here is a tabernacle, a serving of the tabernacle, the blood of the sacrifice which was offered by the bishop for the sins of the people, in the most holy place of the temple: and the bodies of the beasts (whose blood was offered) were burned without the tents, And this was done the tenth day of the seventh month. Ye here now the words of the Apostle. Wherein appeareth the manifest figure of the Passion of our saviour jesus Chryst, which we this day do honour.  
In these words the apostle toucheth the figure of the law, and brings it to a spiritual understanding. For it was commanded in the law in the book of numbers, that the tenth day of the seventh month, 
Num●●. ●●.  in the feast that was called the feast of the propicyatyon, of mercy, of remission, or the feast of purgation, when the people were purged. At which time they should take a calf and a kid and slay them. 
Uitulus Hircus. Hebre. ●●.  Whose blood the only bishop should bring in sancta sanctorum, in to the most holy solemn & secret place of the temple, wherein the bishop never came, whiles he brought with him blood, blood to offer in sacrifice. Quia oina penae in sanguine secundum legem mundabantur, 
Sang●●●.  & sine sanguinis effusione non fit remissio saith the Apostle. almost all sins after the law or in the law, were cleansed in blood & by blood: And without the effusion of blood, was no remission. And in that place of the temple called sancta sanctorum, 
Sancta sanctorum Corpus  the bishop prayed and offered for the people. The flesh and corpse of the sacrifice was burned without the tents, without their pavilions. And it was not lawful to any that did serve the tabernacle, to eat of the flesh of that sacrifice.  
Here is a manifest figure (as I said) of the Passion of our saviour Chryst. 
altar qd  The altar that was consecrate and halowede in this solenuyte of the blood of the eternal testament, was that holy cross that Chryst suffered on. Which as on this day, he did consecrate, hallow, dignify and dedicate: And did adorn and deck the same with the members of his most precious body, more gloriously than it had been enbrowderede & inserte with precious stones. For as gold which is the most precious metal, is made more precious when it is set with precious stones, and is dignified therewith, whether it be altar, image, crown, ring or owche: so was this altar the holy cross beautified, dignified, adorned & made precious: with the members of that most precous stone Chryst, which is as Peter saith Lapis vivus, ab hominibus reprobatus, a deo electus, 
1. Peter. 2. Lapis. Christus  probatus, angularis & praeciosus. This Chryst is (he saith) the lively stone, which men did reprove, which god did elect for the approved stone, for a corner stone, for the chief stone in the building of his church, for the stone that joineth the walls of the church together, for the stone whereupon the faith of Chryst, and his church is builded. A precious stone, a stone of price, a stone of high value, far passing in the estimation of a good christian man, all other precious stones in the world. This precious stone Chryst with the members of his most precious body, did deck, adorn and make precious this altar the cross: When his body was by the jews with a violencye, extremely strained upon the same, that all his bones (as testifieth the Prophet) mought be numbered. 
Psal. 21. Sacrificium.  Upon this altars was the great sacrifice of the world offered, Chryst himself. He was the sacrifice, & he was the priest. He offered up himself to god his father, for the sin of man. 
Hebre. 9  Obtulit semetipsum immaculatum deo ut sanctificaret inquinatos saith the apostle. He offered himself a pure, clean, immaculate host to god, to redeem the world, to sanctify sinners, to justify man.  
This Chryst the bishop of good things to come (as the apostle witnesseth) entered oons in to the place called sancta sanctorum, 
Hebre. 9  not only of the temple: but in sancta sanctorum, in to that holy place of places, 
Sancta sanctorum  in to heaven. He entered with sacrifyced blood like a bishop. Not with the blood of gootes or calves, not with the blood of rams or bulls: but with his own most precious blood. For if the blood of gootes & bulls, 
Hebre 9 Leuit●●▪ 1ST.  and the ashes of the burned calf sprinkled abroad, were sufficient to the making clean of the flesh: how moche more than the blood of Chryst? Who by the holy ghost did offer up himself to god, most pure most clean & immaculate sacrifice, is able to purge, cleanse and make fair our coscyences from the works of death, and to live in the living god?  
This is our great bishop as the apostle saith, Habemus pontificem magnum qui paenetravit coelos, 
Hebre ●●. Magnu●● 〈◊〉 noster christus est.  JESUM filium dei. We have a great bishop, which did penetrate the heavens, whose name is jesus the son of god. This is our great bishop, our high bishop, our universal bishop. This is the heed bishop of all bishops and of the world, named of god (as the apostle saith) to be our great bishop, properly called Summus pontifex the highest bishop, the bishop of bishops. For this is he only that is Summus, 
Hebre. ●●. Summus Maximus universalis pontifex christus  maximus & universalis pontifex. The bishop of Rome therefore ought herein to be abashed, ashamed & to abhor his own pride. For in this he outrageously doth offend god and blasphemeth him, in that he presumeth to take this high name from our bishop Christ. In that, he taketh away (asmuch as lieth in him) the glory of god, the majesty appertaining unto Chryst. In that, he taketh upon him these names only appropried unto Chryst, Summus pontifex, maximus pontifex, universalis pontifex: the highest bishop, the greatest bishop, the universal bishop, the bishop of all the world. I much marvel how he dare be so bold to usurp and take these great names upon him. Greater blasphemy can not be, then to take from god, that that naturally belongeth unto him: then to take from god his glory and honour, then to vindicate and take upon him soche high names as beseems no christian man to usurp. 
Ezeche 42.  God said by his Prophet, Non dabo gloriam meam altri: I will not give my glory away to any other, to any creature. He doth reserve that glory, that laud and honour that belongeth only unto him, unto himself: no man to attempt so far, no man to take so much upon him.  
Peter, Peter thou were oons bishop of Rome, & the first bishop of Rome, 
Petrus pontifex Rome.  didst thou ever take this name upon thee? Summus, maximus, universalis? No no no. And why? for the holy ghost was in the. Thou wouldest take no more upon the then god gave the. Thou were not desirous of worldly fame and glory. All that thou soughtest for, was for the glory of god: as all that will read thy sermondes, thy epistles and thy life, shall soon perceive. Look a great number of bishops that next followed Peter in the same see, what were they? holy martyrs, holy livers, which never attempted thus far. Let the bishop of Rome therefore knowledge his great fault, his high foolye, his unlawful usurpation, his unpreestly presumption: & humble himself to Chryst & god his great bishop. Would god he would reform himself. Would god he would keep himself within the compass of his authority, and no more to encroach upon other men's iurisdictyons, but diligently keep and over look his own diocese, and be content with that. Would god he would look upon his predecessor saint Gregory in his reg●●e, which was a bishop of Rome, a holy man. Let him learn there how he did rebuke Iohn that time the bishop of Constantinople, for taking on him so highly, in such names, universal bishop, highest bishop, greatest bishop: 
gregorius in registro. libro iiij. indictione xxx Epistola xxx●●iij.  and how he proved it to be anent the law of god. He saith there in one place to this proud bishop Iohn, what ansfere shalt thou make in that straight examination at that last judgement to Chryst the heed of the universal holy church, that goest about to have subject unto thee, all the members of Chryst, by taking on the the name of universal bishop? In an other place ayayne in the same book he saith unto him, 
Idem.  who art thou that dost presume to usurp a new name upon the of universal bishop, contrary to the statutes of the gospel and the decrees?  
God forbid that ever it should come in the hearts of christian people this blasphemy, in the which the honour of all preesthood is taked away, when a man shall rashly and arrogantly, take that name upon him. Let this bishop of Rome therefore humble himself unto our great universal bishop Chryst, humble himself under the mighty hand of god, & know what the apostle doth write of the honour & power of this Chryst our great and high bishop. He is he saith, 
Hebre. ●●. 3.4.5.7.8.9.  Pontifex misericors, fidelis, po●●ens, magnus, humilis, paenetrans coelum, compaciens infirmitatibus nostris, offerens dona & sacrificia pro peccatis nostris, condolens hiis qui ignorant & errant. Qui potest saluum facere a morte, offerens preces & supplicationes cum clamore valido & lacrimis, & exauditus est pro reverentia sua. Pontifex appellatus a deo. Pontifex sanctus, innocens, impollutus, segregatus a peccatoribus, excelsior coelis. Non habens necessitatem (quemadmodum alii) prius pro suis delictis hostias offerre deinde pro populi: Pontifex sedens in dextris dei interpellans pro nobis, Emundans conscientias nostras ab operibus mortuis Intrans sancta sanctorum per proprium sanguinem. Hic est pontifex confessionis nostrae.  
Let all earthly bushops learn of this heavenly bishop Chryst. Some of these properties are appropried and belongeth only to God and not to man. In some we ought to follow him. In some we can not, ne aught to do. 
Misericors.  This our high and great bishop is misericors, saith the apostle, merciful. A merciful bishop, ready to forgive, ready to remit those that hath offended him. He is not cruel, not vengeable, but full of pity, full of mercy. And in this we ought to follow him.  
He is pontifex potens, a mighty bishop, mighty and full of power. 
Potens.  We be but weak & feeble bushops, not able to do any thing but by his permission and help. He is able to make sick, to make hole: to make rich, to make poor: to set up, to put down. Potens, a mighty bishop, mighty and able to remit sin, to forgive, to save both bydye and soul from damnation. Potens, a mighty bishop and full of power. No power in this world but of him. 
Roma. 13.  Omnis potestas a domino deo est. All power is of him. And as he himself witnesseth, 
Math. 28.  Data est mihi omnis potestas in coelo & in terra. All power is given unto me, in heaven and in earth. Potens saluare a morte. He can save the body, and save the soul. He can deliver the toone, and deliver the t'other from everlasting death. Who can forgive sin but he? 
Ma●●. 2.  Quis potest dimittere peccatum nisi solus deus? Est potens. He is a mighty bishop. Of him and by him, Emperors, Kings, magistrates and potestates: bishops, priests, with all other that hath power, hath their power and authority. Who is able to turn the wind? to make the wind blow or cease, but he? Who is able to say & prove, I will now have it rain, now clear: the son to shine, the water to flow, to ebb, with such other, but only he? This is our mighty bishop. Pontifex potens, mighty, ye omnipotens, almighty. He can do all. nothing to him impossible. 
Omnipotens.  Ipse dixit & facta suntoina, Mandavit, & creata sunt universa. 
Psal. 32.  Potens ergo est. He is a mighty bishop. We are not so,  
Fidelis pontifex. He is a faithful bishop. Faithful. 
Fidelis.  He is a faithful bishop to god. referring all laudes, all honour and glory to his father, in allthings that he did, miracles or other. He took never the more upon himself. He was also a faithful bishop to the world. For he did all that belonged to the office of a good bishop. The very office of a bishop is predicare, 
Tria ad officium episcopi partinentia. Predicabat. i. Offic●●● episcopi.  orare, & sacrificare sive offer. To preach, to pray, to do●● sacrifice and to offer. He preached to his people. He taught the world most wholesome doctrine, whereby he called the people to god, he converted sinners, he called them to penance. He made them weep & lament their sins. They followed his person, they followed his word, they followed his ensample. They came out of all coostes to see him, to hear him, to learn of him. 
Math 14.  They forsook meat and drink, house and home, and folowede him wheresoever he went, aswell in wilderness as else where. In so much that after they had folowede him three days, he being moved with pity lest they should perish for lack of food being in wilderness far from succour, fed them twice miraculously. Oons, in the desert with five loves & two fishes, feed five thousand men besides women and children, and were left twelve great baskettꝭ, 
Math. 15.  twelve maundꝭ full of the brokelettꝭ & offals at that meal. At an other time, he fed in wilderness to the number of four thousand men, besides women and children, with seven loves and a few small fishes. And was left of fragments, seven maundes full.  

ij. officium episcopi, & predicatoris est orare.  The second office of a bishop he fulfilled also. For he prayed. He was most devout in prayer, so to teach all bushops & preachers not to presume in their wit or learning, neither in their capacity, memory, fair tongue or utterance: but that the preacher do studyouslye apply his book, with all diligencye to study: how to speak, what to speak, afore whom he shall speak: and to shape his sermon after the audience. The preacher ought also besides his study and preaching, to pray. For by devout prayer, he shall attain percase asmuch or more, as by study or learning. For without prayer, the words will little prevail. Look in Chryst his life, and thou shalt find, that in every thing he went about he prayed, to show the valiancy the virtue and strength of prayer. To show our necessities, our weakness and feebleness of nature. He prayed for his people (as Luke witnesseth) the space of one hole night. 
Luce. 6.  And what a marvelous devout prayer made he for his people in the mount the night afore his Passion? when the chalice of death was represented unto him? when he sweat water and blood? when he cried thrice Transeat a me calix iste? 
Math. 26.  Let this chalice, let this Passion and blood, let the virtue thereof pass from me unto all mankind. Let every man have the virtue and merit thereof, let it work in all folks, let every faithful man and woman be partner thereof, let it not be lost but work to the worlds end. This was a marvelous devout merciful prayer. And ayayne he suffering and hanging on the cross, offered up for his people Preces & supplicationes cum clamore valido & lacrimis. 
Hebre. 5.  He offered up his prayers and supplications with a huge cry, with a pityous voice, 
Clamour christi i●● cruce.  with a lamentable and a deathly shryche, and with weeping tears (to god his father) he hanging on the cross, even when the spirit should depart the body, not then forgetting his people at that hour when all the people forgetteth both the world and themselves. Which cry was so huge and great, so marvelous and of that effect, that the heavens trembled thereat, 
Celi. Angeli. Sol. Uelum. Terra. Petre. sepul●●ra. Mortui. Centurio. Marce 15.  the angels mourned for pity, the son looste his light, the veil in the temple rived in two, the earth quaved, the stones rent a sondre and braced in gobbets, the graves opened, the dead bodies rose to life and appeared in the city. Centurio and those that kept Chryst to see the execution done, cried, Vere filius dei erat iste. This was the undoubted son of god. His prayer & weeping tears were so pleasant unto the father, that it was herd, Exaudi●●us ●●st pro reverentia sua. He was herd, & why? 
〈◊〉. 8.  For it was so enter, so devout, so reverently done, in such a manner & fashion, with such a zeal, grounded upon such a charity, suffering for our guilt and not for his own. And for that he did the very office of a bishop, so entirely to pray & so reverently to offer up himself in sacrifice for his people, he was herd, he was herd: his prayer was herd of god. And that is the third property of a good bishop to offer sacrifice for his people. Every bishop, every bishop for his diocesans & for the hole universal church. 
three officium Episcopi est sacrificare. Fidelis.  In these three we ought asmuch as we may to follow Chryst.  
Thus this Chryst was & is Pontifex fidelis, a faithful bishop. Faithful, faithful in his word, true in his promise, deceiving no man, but profiting all. In all that he did or spoke, he sought nothing his own glory, but the glory of god: teaching thereby all bishops of the world in all that they go about, to do it to the laud praise and glory of God. And herein we ought also to follow him.  
Magnus pontifex. He is the great bishop, the high bishop, 
Magnus  the supreme bishop, the universal bishop over all the world. No great bishop but he. None high, none supreme nor universal bishop, but he. And herein the bishop of Rome outrageously usurpeth upon God as he doth upon the world: to take the honour & names (only to god appropried) to himself. And doth grievously blaspheme & offend god therein. Greater blasphemy can not be, then to ascribe to god, that that no ways belongeth unto him: 
Blasphemia.  or to take from God, that that unto him is appropried. It is meet therefore he do betimes and in season leave his unjust encrochementes both anent his Lord god and also anent the world, lest he do provoke God to pour out all his vials of wrath upon him: the vees I mean, the maledictions and vengeance that Iohn speaketh of in the Apocalyps. I would advise him to cease the Injuries which he hath and daily doth anent the christ our great high universal bishop, 
Apoca. 9  lest thou excommunycate and strike, leefte thou show thy wrath and judgement annenst him and utterly extinc his pride and ambitious pretenced authority. For thou wilt be known, thou wilt be known god. And thou art and will be our great universal and supreme bishop what soever the bishop of Rome shall attempt to the contrary, and thou wilt punish his worldly arrogancy, & strike when thou seest thy tyme. And though it be long or thou strike, yet let him beware, for strike thou wilt if thou be utterly provoked. And when thou dost strike, thy stroke is great, thy stroke is dradful & sore. It vaynquesheth the body, it slayeth the soul, it damneth both. Beware therefore thou bishop of Rome, & be content with thine own diocese, with thine own charged, as other bushops are with theirs. For further than thine own diocese, thy jurisdiction do not stretch.  
A marvelous blindness in the therefore to take upon the to answer for all the world, and art not able to answer our great bishop Chryst for thyself at that dreadful day of judgement: when he shall ask but these few questions of thee, Quomodo intrasti? 
Questiones in judicio episcopo fiend.  Quomodo rexisti? Quomodo vixisti? Quomodo pavisti? Quae & qualia exempla dedisti? Quid ad meam gloriam fe●●isti? & huiusmodi. How didst thou enter into thy bushopryke? by me or by the world? unlawfully or lawfully? by simony or freely? by labour by paction, or called of god? How didst thou rule thy cure? thy diocese? didst thou pray for thy people? didst thou preach me to thy diocesans? didst thou give them ghostly and bodily food? didst thou minister spiritual and ghostly salves (the sacraments I mean) to heal the soores of their souls? How didst thou live? didst thou cast away the cure the glory and pomp of the world? didst thou follow me in humility, in charity, in compassion, in poverty, in cleanness, & in chaaste living?  
How didst thou govern thy diocesans? dyddeste not thou make of all things that thou diddest meddle with a money matter? in selling that which was not in the to sell nor give, that that thou calleddest thy pardons, thy commissions, thy breeves, thy delygaces, reservations, exemptions, appellations, bulls and dispensations? didst not thou under these pretences and like other doings, deceive the world? what ansfere shalt thou make to this at that day to our and thy great bishop Chryst, when he shall visit the and all thy diocese, me and all my diocese, ye when he shall visytte all the world? what ansfere shalt thou then make? I think verily thou shalt then have enough to do, ye and more than thou canst wind thyself out of, to maake ansfere for thyself, for thine own diocese and for thine own diocesans: though thou usurp not upon other men's as thou dost. The Apostle writeth of christ humbly, and calleth him Magnum pontificem, the great bishop. And he of Rome is not with this word contented, but will have a higher word for himself, in the superlative degree. Maximum. Pontificem maximum. The greatest bishop. Oh, where is the humbleness and meekness that should be in him? Alas he that taketh on him to teach all the world, how can he for shame suffer such blaphemous words to pass in his name to his great shame and rebuke: to the great danger of his soul, and to the perilous ensample unto other. Oh, fie upon pride/ it is a common Proverb, Pride will have a fall.  
Our bishop Chryst was humilis, meek, lowly, and humble in heart. 
Humilis.  He rood not upon any palfrey nor courageous horse, but upon an ass and that but oons. He never was borne pompiously abroad in chair upon men's shoulders. He never proffered his foot to any body to kiss: We read that he washed the feet of his disciples and wiped them. 
johan. 13.  We read that Mary Magdalen proffered to have kissed his feet, but he did prohibit her saying Noli me tangere. touch me not. He would not suffer the woman then to touch him. 
Math. 20.  He never had guard to defend him. He never followed the pomp of the world. He disdained not to go upon the ground with his baare foot. What shall I say? He gave ensamples enough to the bishop of Rome, to me and to all bishops, to be meek and humble, he to know himself and we ourselves, as if he and we diligently look in scripture, we shall find. And herein, in meekness we are bound to follow him.  
Compaciens infirmitatibus. This bishop christ, 
Compatiens.  had compassion of our infirmities, of our frayltyes. It is impossible for a man to know the afflictions of the miserable person that never suffered affliction, that never had experience of pains, that never felt what pain mente. But this bishop christ, had experience of our nature: how weak, how feeble the nature of man is. How weak of himself to do any good work without the help of God. How feeble to resist temptations. He suffered and felt the infirmytyes and pains of his natural body. He hath therefore compassion upon man when he doth see him fall. He sorroweth his ruin. teaching bishops in especial afore all other, to have compassion and pity upon the sinner. To help him spiritually, to comfort him goo●●●▪ to help him to arise from sin, to allure him to penance, to draw him to virtue, to make him know god, to fear his justice, to love his laws. And thus to seek all the ways he and we can, to save the sinners soul, for whom he shall make ansfere to god for his own diocesans: soul for soul, blood for blood, pain for pain, hell for hell, damnation for damnation: For which soul our great bishop Chryst (as the Apostle doth witness) did offer gifts and sacrifice, 
Hebre. 5.  and sacrifycede himself, having compassion of them that by ygnorancye and by error did sin and offend God: even when he was in his greatest agony upon the cross, he cried to his father forgive them father, 
Luce. 2●●.  forgive them: they know not what they do, they are ignorant people, they know not what is what, nor what danger they run in to by this entreating me. They know not their offences, forgive them father, forgive them. In this compassion we ought also to follow our great bishop Chryst.  
It followeth in the formour letter. Est pontifex appellatus a deo. 
Pontifex appellatus  He is a bishop, and so named of god. He is the very bishop. He offered up the very sacrifice, the sacrifice of his own most blessed body and blood whereby the sin of the world was put away. Every bishop of the world is not named a bishop by god. For some cometh in to that office, not by the holy ghost, not elect of god, (as Iohn saith) Not entering in ovile ovium per ostium, sed ascendens aliunde. Some there are that entereth in to the fold of the sheep of god, 
john. 10.  not by the door: Some there be that entereth in to having charge & cure of soul, not by god: but by worldly means, by worldly labour, by importune suits and intercession of friends, or by their own unlawful labour, by simony and such other ways. Such are not named bushops by god. 
john. 14  Such entereth not by the door, not by him that saith Ego sum ostium, Ego sum via veritas & vita. I am the door, I am the way, I am life, I am truth, I am Pastor bonus, the very true and good bishop that entered by god. And all that entereth otherwise then by god, Chryst calleth them Fures & latrones, 
john. 10  thieves, spoilers, raveners, devourers and deceivers of the sheep. Their living shall declare the same. For such as sowrongfully doth enter, do study their own profits and commodities. Such receiveth the fruits and do nothing for it. Such suffereth their sheep to perish for lack of bodily and ghostly food and sustenance, for lack of preaching, for lack of giving good counsel, for lack of good living, for lack of good ensample. And such for the most part liveth naughtily, carnally, fleshly, vicyously, pompyously, worldly, and not bushoply nor priestly. For they came not in by god, nor by grace. Chryst saith, 
john. 10.  Qui intrat per me, saluabitur, & ingredietur, & egredietur, & pascua inveniet. He that entereth by me shallbe saved. Et ingredietur & egredietur. And he shall go in and he shall go out. What is that to say, He shall go in and he shall go out? To go in and to go out, I think he meaneth by going in, that he shall have grace to enter studiously in to the holy scripture, daily and nightly to meditate, to study and to profit in the laws of god. Et egredietur. And he shall explain and truly interpretate and publish it unto the people. Et pascua inveniet. And he shall find there plenty of spiritual food for himself and for his people. To edify their souls, to instruct and call them to the knowledge of god, to feed them plentifully, that they shall not lack necessaries to their souls. Let us therefore so live that we may be called Pontifices appellati a deo.  
This our great bishop Chryst is also, Pontifex sanctus, innocens, impollutus, segregatus a peccatoribus, 
Hebre. 7  excelsior coelis, sedens a dextris dei, emundans conscientias nostras a peccatis, intrans sancta sanctorum, per proprium sanguinem. He is Sanctus. A holy bishop, 
Sanctus.  & willeth us to be holy in our conversation: applying ourselves unto godliness, to the service of god, to live like bushops like priests: pure, clean, chaaste, devout, studious, faithfully labouring in his word, praying, doing sacrifice, and ever to be godly & virtuously occupied.  
He is Innocens, an innocent. He never sinned, he never offended in word, thought nor deed. Innocens, 
Innocens  noyinge no creature, profiting all folks: meekly suffering adversities, obprobryes, re●●agges, rebukes and reproaches, without grudge or contradictyon. Innocens & simplex, simplex sine plica. An innocent, 
Simplex  without plate or wrinkle, without error or doubleness, without hypocrisy or dissimulation, without flattering or glozing, without fraud or deceit: not serving the body nor the world, but god. In this we ought also to follow our heavenly bishop.  
Impollutus. He was undefylede. He lived clean without spot or blot, 
Impollutus.  without wemme or stain. No immundicye in him, no uncleanness, no moot nor filthiness: But all pure and clean, all chaaste and immaculate, all bright and shining in grace and godliness. In so much that he was Segregatus a peccatoribus clean segregate from all kind of uncleanness, 
Segregatus a peccatis.  from all manner of sins, and from sinners. Segregate from them, not from their company, 
Math. 9  For as Mathewe writeth, Publicans and sinners came and eat and drank with him and his disciples in the house of Levi. And he also came as a physician, to heal the sinner. And yet was segregate from them (quantum ad participacionem cum cis in peccato) as touching their ill livings, not being particypante with them in sin. But came only to heal them, and to rid them from sin and soores of the soul. He entered the heavens, not with the blood of kid nor goote, but with his own proper blood. For which and for his holiness and perfytenes Excelsior coelis factus est. 
Excelsior celis.  He is extolled and exalted above all the angels and beats, above all the heavens: sitting on the right hand of the father. Whom all the heavenly creatures doth worship, honour and do reverence unto. Where he prayeth for his people, and is mediator in his manhood to his father for us.  
This our bishop purgeth our consciences (as witnesseth th'apostle) he cleanseth our souls, he maketh us inwardly beauteous and fair. The bishop of Rome lacketh many of these notable virtues. He hath few or noon of these properties, few or noon of these qualities. He is (as we all are sinners) a sinner. To whom this word Magnus great, is not convenient, nor can be in him any ways verified. 
Magnus  For he cannot forgive sin as our bishop doth, nor justify as he doth, neither enter in Sctam sanctorum with his own blood as he did. How can he then be called a great bishop that is (as we all be sinners) a sinner, a breaker of the laws of god, and daily do or may, fall and sin. And for that cause the law commaundede that every bishop & priest should first offer hoostis & sacrifice for his own sins, and afterward for the sins of the people. How can he therefore be called a great bishop or priest?  
Our bishop we speak of, is the very great bishop. No doole, no fraud, no guile was ever found in his mouth. And when the prince of the world the devil came to him, he could find no point of sin in him. Wherefore Gabryell the archangel showing his nativity unto Mary his mother, said, 
〈…〉  Hic 〈◊〉 magnus & filius altissimi vocabitur. He shall be great, 〈◊〉 shall be called the son of god. And ayayne it is written of him, Propheta magnus surrexit inter nos. 
〈…〉  A great prophet is risen amongst us. Sin, maketh a man small and little, little in reputation both afore god and man. Virtue maketh man great and of high reputation. 
Uirtus.  Show me one place in scripture where ye have red, that a sinner was called great? I trow it shall not be found. Will you here who were called great in scripture? It is written of Isaac Quod proficiebat valde & factus est magnus valde. 
Gene. 26.  He profited greatly in virtue, and was made great, great in reputation of the world. Moses' was called Magnus, 
Exodi. 11.  great for his virtue. Abraham and Iohn baptist likewise. Now jesus our bishop is called Magnus episcopus, 
Luce. 1.  magnus sacerdos. And after him never bishop called Magnus in all scripture, neither in the reputation of man unless it be in comparison one of another. And so saints and holy livers are called great in respect of sinners or other mean livers. But where Chryst our bishop cometh, which not in comparison of other, but simpliciter by his own magnitude & greatness and of himself ever was & is great, of whom it is written. A summo coelo egressio eius, & occursus eius usque ad summum eius. 
Psal. 1ST.  And as the apostle proveth in many places by express word. But now there is no bishop nor priest in this world, that may worthily of himself be called great, nor aught to take this name magnus upon him.  
This is he therefore of whom it is written, Magnus sacerdos ex fratribus suis. The great bishop above all other. 
Leuiti. 21.  And as he is called and in very deed is Pastor pastorum, Pontifex pontificum, Propheta prophetarum, Sanctus sanctorum, Dominus dominantium, Rex regum. Ita & magnus magnorum est. As he is called the herds man of hyrdesmen, the bishop of bushops, the prophet of prophets, the holy of holiest, the lord of lords and king of kings: Even so is he called and verily is Episcopus magnus. Therefore the prophet did add Magnus sacerdos ex fratribus suis, the great bishop or priest, great of himself, great in virtue and power, great of himself, and great in comparison afore all other. And therefore the Apostle said Habemus pontificem magnum, qui paenetravit coelos, JESUM filium dei.  
We have a great bishop, which did penetrate the heavens, jesus the son of God.  
Here may ye now see how the bishop of Rome doth wrongfully encrouche upon our great bishop jesus Chryst, to take from him not only this name Magnus, and is not with that name yet contented, but addeth more videlicet Maximus, Summus, Sanctus, Beatissimus, universalis, and such other. The greatest, the highest, the holiest, the blysseddest and universal in the superlative degrees. And yet there is no great bishop, but Chryst only, no supreme bishop, but he only, none holy, none blessed, none universal bishop, but only he. The bishop of Rome and all other bishops are but underlings and unworthy suffragans unto this bishop Chryst.  
This our Chryst (as witnesseth the apostle) is pontifex nostre confessionis, 
Pontife●● nostre confessionis.  the bishop whom we do confess to be our great bishop, our high bishop▪ our supreme bishop, our holy blessed & universal bishop. Which names are reserved only unto Chryst, and to no earthly bishop. Not to the bishop of Rome, not to the bishop of Jerusalem, not to the bishop of Antioch▪ nor of Constantinople, nor to any other bishop. No●● earthly bishop to presume to take upon him these high and holy names only to god appropried.  
God of thy goodness thou mayst and I trust will oons make this vayngloryous bishop of Rome, first to know and knowledge the christ to be the only supreme and universal bishop of the world. Secondarylye to know himself, his weakness, his frailty and his presumption. To know his office & bounden duty unto the god. To know his own diocese, and to usurp no further. thirdly to have a low, humble, meek heart and stomach: to fear the god and thy judgements, to knowledge his onwe faults, & usurpations and to redress the same.  
Now to return unto our matter it followeth in the letter first taken, 
Litera.  De quo edere non habent potesta●●ē qui tabernaculo deseruiunt. They that doth serve the tabernacle may not eat of this sacrifice. 
Edere de tabernaculo quid sit? 2. Corint. 3.  We christian people that ought to hold the truth and verity and not the figures, let us inquire and search, Non literam occidentem, sed spiritum vivificantem: not the letter, but the spirit: not the bare grammatical sense, but the spiritual: not the carnal understanding, but the inward thing mente thereby. 
Tabernaculum quid  What is then spiritually this tabernacle? What is it to serve this Tabernacle? And what to eat of this sacrifice? 
Corpus.  This tabernacle is our body. How shall I prove that? Here what the apostle saith, believe him. What saith he? he saith, Qui sumus in hoc tabernaculo, 
2. Corint. 5.  ingemissimus: gravati, onerati, eo ꝙ nolumus expoliari, sed superuestiri: Vt obsorbeatur quod mortale & corruptibile est a vita. We that be in the tabernecle of this mortal corruptible body, we mourn and lament. And why? For we are grieved and burdened with our mortal and corrupt fleshly body, for that we would not be spoiled but have a new garment: desiring to have that which is mortal and corruptible, to be clean taken away from this life.  
Who are they that saith this? Who are they that are grieved, burdened, wearied & find fault with this body? 
iwenes  The jolly huffaas and rufflers of this would? The young galandes of the court? The lusty juventus, youth? No no, no. None of these. For there is nothing in this world more pleasant more acceptable to them then the body. For all there study is how to please this body, how to deck this body, how to feed this body, how to take the ease of this body, the pleasure of this body. Every way seeking and inventing, how to follow the voluptye and carnal desires of this body. We see how they study to set forth this body, to fashion it, to make it appear more gorgeous, more syghtye & better in making and shape then God maked it. Now with this fashion of apparel, now with that. Now with this cut and that guard. I cannot describe the thing, nor I will do. But I see it far wide, far out of frame, few keeping themselves within their bounds: but for the most part outragyouslye, excessively, and exceedingly out of order. In especial mean men, serving men, bestowing upon one pair of hoses, in manner asmuch as his half years wages cometh unto. Alas how can this be borne? how can this continue, unless they have livelihood to maintain it, as they have not? And so in all other their apparel rateably they do abuse themselves. It is far wide & out of the neck. It is not well. All the world do see it. All the world speaketh of it, & seeth what inconveniences doth follow thereof: and yet no man putteth to his hand to the amendment of it. Ou●● lord amend it, and put in good men's minds to remedy the same. How we feed this body with meats and drinks of all sorts, & with the diuersy●●● of the same, to quicken the appetite: How we 〈◊〉 to please this body with rest, with ease, with quyetn●●● with games, with sports & other pastime: How commodious we be to have worldly substance to maintain this pride and pomp, this sloth and gluttony: ye to follow the fleshly, filthy, voluptuous pleasures of the body: All the world may perceive it. And they that so do, shall one ways or other feel it: either here with misery, poverty, sickness, plaage, or otherways: Or else where, with pain and punishment. 
Corpus inimicus homini. Tres inimici spirituales. Septen peccata mortalia.   
This body is the greatest enemy that man hath, and soonest doth bring man unto damnation, which is easy enough to prove. For we have but three ghostly enemies, the devil, the world, and the body. And there are but seven deadly sins: Pride, wrath, Envy, Sloth, gluttony, covetous, and Lechery. Of the which seven, but two properly are applied to the devil, wrath and Envy: Two to the world, pride and covetous: And the body hath three to him appropried, Sloth with all his kinds, gluttony with all his fellowship, & Lechery with all his branches. And I rekonne more dampened by sloth, gluttony, lechery, and with their branches: then by pride, wrath, envy, and covetous with all their raafull. So consequently I reckon the body, to be the ancient enemy, the great pursuer of man, the great poisoner of the soul, the great occasion of the damnation of the same. This body is so infest and busy in temptations of the flesh, that many do say (as I have heard them speak) that man can not live chaste, for it is Donum dei, a special gift of god, and every man hath not that gift, as Solomon saith, 
Sap●●en. 8.  Non possum esse continens, nisi tu dederis domine. I cannot live chaste unless thou Lord god do give it me. Forsooth true. And no more can I have charity, Faith, Hoop, nor any other virtue: but of the gift of god. All virtues are Dona dei. He giveth all these virtues and other like unto us, if we will: if we covet to have them, if we make means to have them, if we will with devout mind desire them of god. Therefore saith the evangelist Mathewe where he speaketh of chastity, 
Math. 19  Non omnes capiunt hoc verbum, sed quibus datum est. All do not take this word but they that god giveth it unto. All are not apt to live chaste, nor all do dispose themselves thereunto. Therefore christ added unto it, Qui potest capere capiat. He that may take it, take it. What is this to say, He that may take it take it? Forsooth it is to say, He that will take it, take it. So that he doth not constrain any man that is at liberty, that hath not maked vow to the contrary to this nor to that, But leaveth it to his own free will. And therefore saith, He that may take it, take it. This word Potest, may as I think be taken here, as it is in many places of scripture, Posse pre velle. 
Posse.  May for will. As here in Iohn. Credere non potuerunt. i. Credere noluerunt after Chrisostome. 
Iohn. 1ST  They could not (he saith) believe, that was asmuch to say, They would not believe. Again in Iohn, Chryst said to the jews, Non potest mundus odisse vos, me autem odit. 
Iohn. 7  The world can not hate you. What is this to say? But that the world will not hate you, but me the world hateth. We say also in our vulgar tongue, I can not love that man for his conditions. Yet I can love him if I will, but I will not love him for his ill conditions. And again, Non potest ille fieri bonus. He can not be good. And is no more to say, but he will not be good. Another notable ensample we read of christ in the gospel of Mark. 
〈…〉  That after he had raised from death to life filiam Archisinagogi, He went from thence into his own country where he was borne. There he taught so marvelously, that many of them said, How hath this man this learning, these gifts of working virtues and miracles? Is not this the son of Mary? Is not this the brother of jacob and joseph, of juda & Simon? Be not his sisters dwelling hear among us? And thus blasphemed & slandered him? To whom Chryst maked answer. There is no Prophet without honour but in his own country, in his own house & amongis his own kin & acquaintance. And followeth there, Non poterat ibi vertutem ullam facere, nisi paucos infirmos impositis manibus curavit. Et mirabantur propter incredulitatem eorum. He could not do there any miracle, but healed a few sick people with touching them. Who will say that Chryst and god could not do miracles there, to whom nothing was nor is impossible? To whom allthings are light and easy to do? Yet the evangelist saith even so as I have rehearsed. Why if the evangelist so say, then must it needs be true that Chryst could do no miracles there? Ye forsooth. It is scripture, and scripture is and must be true.  
Why how shall we then save both these, That to Chryst there is nothing impossible, and that christ could work no miracles there? Uerylye scripture must be taken as the holy ghost and his instrument the evangelist mente it. When Mark said, Chryst could do no miracles there but a few, he meant that christ would do no miracles there for the ingratituding of the jews, and for their incredulity and lack of faith. Non potuit for non voluit. He could not. wherein he mente, that he would not. So to the former saying, Capiat qui capere potest. Every man be continent and chaste that may. Every person that may keep it, keep it. And is no more to say, but every man may have chastity and keep chastity that will, having the grace of god, with the help of him & his grace. whereof the apostle saith, 
Phillip. 4.  Omnia possum in eo qui me confortat xpns. I may do and sustain allthings in him & by him that comforteth me, our lord jesus Chryst. And both him and his grace thou mayest have if thou call and sue for it, if thou wilt apply thyself to receive it, as anon shall to the plainly appear.  
But how is it possible for him to live chaste that hath a desire to be ever in company of women? or for women to live chaste that hath desire ever to be in company of men? In company of light and suspect persons? suspect places? secret and alone? How is it possible for him to live chaste, that hath a lascyvyous petulant eye? a wanton light countenance? gazing in every woman's face? whereby he is tract and drawn in to concupyscencye? No man, no man can live chaaste nor clean, as long as he hath a lecherous eye, ears given to here every light scurrilous taale, wanton words provoking to sin. Thou canst not possibly live chaste as long as thou hast pleasure to be conversant with women, as long as thou delytest wanton to ●●angle and talk with them. As long as thou haste pleasure in unclean touchyngꝭ, in wanton halseing, wanton embracing, or in wanton kissing. As long as thou usest to resort unto suspect houses, to suspect places, to suspect persons. As long as thou usest carnal conversation, carnal delectation, overmuch pleasure in feeding the body excessively with delecate meats and drinks, and with like other as I have touched.  
Look in scripture how many hath fallen by such concupyscencye of the eye, of the ears, of the mouth, of the hands & soforth. And we shall find many marvelous & dangerous ensamples hereof if we reed scripture: as in Dyna, in the wife of Putifare, 
〈…〉  in hol●●fernes, in judas, in Solomon, in Samson, and in David the king with many many more. Flee therefore these occasions, and thou mayst live chaste with the help of the grace and goodness of god. Call often upon him for help. Pray devoutly and worthily unto him for this gift of chastity, and apply thyself thereunto, and god will give it the. Gyd will give it unto him that devoutly and continually do ask it, to him that will have it, to him that will labour and seek means to attain it. He saith in scripture plainly, Petite & accipietis, pulsate & aparietur vobis, querite & invenietis. 
Math. 7.  Ask and ye shall have, knock and the door shall be opened unto you, seek & ye shall find. And followeth, Omnis qui petit accipit, qui querit invenit, & pulsanti aperietur. Omnis. Every one that asketh shall have, and they that seeketh shall find. And to him that do knock, the door shall be opened. These be the words of god, and must needs be true, taken in their true sense as Chryst spoke them. For many one asketh and goeth without his desire. Many one seeketh that cannot find. Many one knocketh and yet cannot come in. And why? Doth not christ say, Every man that asketh shall have? Every man that seeketh shall find? Every man that knocketh shall come in? Yes forsooth. Ye shall therefore know how saint james doth declare this text, and how this letter is to be understand. Saint james saith, Petitis & non accipitis. And Chryst saith, Petite & accipietis. 
I●●to. 4.  Chryst saith, Ask & ye shall have. james saith, Ye ask and ye have not that that ye do ask. To whom shall we give credence of these two? To Chryst or to james? Chryst saith ye shall have, james saith ye shall not have. What is more contrary than to have and to not have? Is there any contradyctyon in scripture? God forbid. God forbid but scripture should be true, and in all places true. How shall these two then stand together? Reed forth a little moor in james, and thou shalt soon know what Chryst mente when he said, Ask and ye shall have. Why what saith james? Petitis & non accipitis inquit, ●●o ꝙ male petatis, ut in concupiscentiis vestris insumatis. Ye ask, ye pray & make petitions: and yet it is not granted you. And why? Quia male peritis. For that ye ask that that ye should not ask, for that ye ask that that ye ought not to ask. Ye ask either that that is not meet for you, not wholesome for your souls: either else you despair and are doubtful in your asking, not having very confidence trust & faith in god, but douting▪ hesitances doubting in the power or goodness of god: or asking those things that ye will abuse to your concupyscency: as in pride, in gluttony, lechery and such other to the hindrance and damnation of your souls.  
Ask that which ye should relieve with the necessities of your souls, 
Quid petendum?  or the great need of your poor neighbours souls. Ask such things as are necessary for thy spirytual relief & comfort, for the weal of thy soul, to live chrystianly, purely, in cleanness, chastity & in other virtues, & to be a faithful christian, a true servant to god. Ask these & such other constantly, ask faithfully, ask devoutly, ask continually: & god then will here thee, god will then grant the thy boon, and open his bosom of grace, and pour out his mercies upon the. And then shalt thou find & have that thou seekest for.  
I read in the gospel of Luke a parable of a man that had a friend came unto his house. 
〈…〉  And he not having wherewith to bid his friend welcome, yoode to a friend of his about midnight, knocking busyly at his door, desiring to lend him three loves of bread▪ His friend ansfered saying, I pray the trouble me not to night, my door is shut, my servants are in bed▪ I can not now rise to give the. The other continued knocking, knocking still till he that was in bed Propter improbitatem, for his importune and busy calling, arose and gave him asmuch as he had need of. It followeth in the same letter, that Chryst said, I say to you, Ask and it shall be given you, Seek and ye shall find, Knock and it shall be opened unto you. And followeth. Uerylye I say unto you, every one that asketh receiveth. And he that seeketh findeth. And to him that knocketh, it shallbe opened. And followeth yet in the same letter, Who of you will ask your father bread, will he give him a stone? If he ask a fish, will he give him for a fish a serpent? or if he ask an egg, will he proffer him a scorpion? As so say, nay. As so say he will give you your desire and petition. And yet followeth. If therefore you that are sinners do know how to give & what good gifts to give unto your children, how moche moor then doth god your heavenly Father know what to give, how to give, and how ready will be to give the good spirit, the holy ghost, the gifts of grace: to them that asks of him gracious and godly petitions? This parable Chryst spoke to animate and encourage us all to ask of him when we do lack, & what we lack. And therefore saith even following, Ask and ye shall have, seek & ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you.  
But thou must see thy petition be honest and reasonable, standing with the honour and pleasure of god, and with the wealth of thy soul. Ask no tryffles, Ask no worldly pleasures, no carnal petitions, no fleshly requests: but godly and heavenly things. Ask grace, ask mercy, ask forgiveness of thy sins and such other, as did the publican, Mary Magdalen, Manasses, David and the ninivites, with many other more, and obtained. Thus ask, thus knock and call, and thou shalt have. But thou must also persever and continue in thy asking. Thou must call still upon god, ask still, knock still, seek still, sue still unto him. Seek all the ways that thou canst imagine how to attain thy petition & graciously to be herd. Ask dign, 
dign.  worthily, and thou shalt have thy asking. He asketh dign, wisely, worthily and perseverantly: that doth ask with the enter affections of his heart, with a devout mind, with an inward devotion, with a secret close heart towards god: with sighings, sobbings, weepings, and with a contrite heart: with abstinences, fastyngis, mortifications of the body, watching in holy meditations, studying in god, reading in holy scripture, holy exercises of the body, with often prayers, with a high faith, with a very confidence and trust in god: searching all the ways that can be, to attain grace of thy lord god, to come to thy godly purpose. And under this manner do and ask, and then god will here thee, than god will help thee, than god will grant unto the thy righteous boon and petition.  
For he is ever most pressed & ready with his grace, to make to all faithful petitioners, his commandments and other virtues to be light, easy & possible to be observed and kept, if he be faithfully, instantly, devoutly, entirely, and continually required.  
Under this devout manner (with the help of his grace) it is put in our liberty, either to grant or 〈◊〉 the consent unto temptation. Else should not sin 〈◊〉 imputed unto us. For though we can not be without the infirmity and sickness of concupiscency which 〈◊〉 itself (simpliciter taken) is no sin, 
〈…〉  but pena 〈◊〉 the pain of sin, a weakness of the body inflycte 〈◊〉 sin, a disposition to sin, and an inclination to a fleshlynes, yet it is in our election with the help of his grace, not to follow the passions of concupiscencye. Without concupiscence this mortal body can not be. But having the grace of god, it is in our power to resist and withstand it. For scripture saith, 
Ecbole 18.  Post concupiscentias tuas non eas & a voluntate tua avente. Si praestas anime tue concupiscentias, faciet te in gaudium inimicis tuis. Again. Desideria carnis non perfeceris. 
Galat. 5. Roma. 6.  And to the Romans. Non regnet peccatum in vestro corpore mortali ad obediendum desideriis eius. And Moses in Genesis saith, Subter te est appetitus tuus, & tu dominaberis illius. 
Gene. 4.  Follow not thy concupiscence, and turn from thy will & sensual appetite saith Solomon. And ayayn, If thou give to thy soul occasion of concupiscencye, thou shalt maake thine enemies rejoice. Ayayne, follow not the filthy desires of thy flesh. Let not sin reign in your mortal body to obey to his desires. And in Genesis, Thine appetite shallbe under thy dominion, and thou shalt be ruler thereof. And instructeth us how to chastise our bodies and to keep them under, 
Ephesi. 3.  saying, mortify your members, mortify the sin that reigneth in your members. mortify fornication, immundicye and uncleanness, turpitude and libidinous desires. mortify all ill concupiscencye and avaricye. For these rehersede flesshlynes, doth maculate both the body and soul. mortify therefore all these your members. And Chryst saith in Mathewe, 
Math. 11.  My yoke is pleasant & sweet, & my burden is light & easy. And Iohn saith, His commandments be not heavy nor grievous. 
1. johan. 5.  And christ by these exhortations showeth himself to be most desirous to have us live clean, and he ever to be most pressed and ready with his grace, to help us if we cry and call, if we make humble suete with devout petition unto him, applying ourselves all that we can, to use soche devout means as shall help to the attainment of the same, as the holy servants of God doth. Who utterly doth refuse & abject these worldly pleasures, this bodily comfort. For they feeleth this mortal body that they do bear about, to be a grievous burden unto them, what for sorrows, sickness weariness, fatigations and other natural diseases: for temptations and enticements unto sin, ever provoking to ill, and for other grievous and intolerable labours, burdens and pains. They desire therefore to be eased of this burden. They desire with the Apostle Mori, & esse cum Christo, to die and to be with Chryst. They desire to be immortal and impassable, that they so mought be rid out, of, and from the carnal motions, concupiscences and the desires of the flesh. And that is it that the apostle saith, Ingemissimus. We mourn, we lament and sorrow. And why? Eo ●● nolumus expoliari, sed superuestiri. They mourn for that they after the natural desire of the body, would not be spoiled of this natural life, but to have a new garment put upon this body. What garment is that▪ Uerylye the vesture of immortality. Vt obsorbeatur (inquit) quod mortale est a vita. To have all that is mortal and corruptible, to be put away: To have all filthiness of sin and temptation, to be obsorpte and cut from the body: & to do on Chryst for their garment, as the apostle saith, 
Roma ●●  Indui●●ini dominum JESUM Christum. Do ye on jesus christ, live a Chrystly life▪ ●● Chrystians life, a virtuous life, a godly life. Follow▪ follow christ in his living, in humbleness & meekness, in continency & chastity, in cleanness and holiness in benignity and obedience, in temperancy and pacyencye, in love and charity, in ghostly wys●●om and spiritual gladness, in peace & goodness, in modesty and sufferancie: with such other virtues of the spirit, which the Apostle rehearseth in the fifth to the galatians. 
Gala●●▪ ●●.   
Thus the Apostle rehearseth the miseries of this body, which young men do set so moche by, and holy men so much despiseth. And showeth the natural desire for the great natural love that is between the soul and the body never to depart, but to be ever together: as appeareth by the ensample of christ in his humanity showed, in time of that great agony and conflycte that was between his body and soul: as yesternight in his prayer, thrice crying to his father to have that bloody chalice of death to be removed, in remembrance whereof, he sweat bloody drops, blood and water pirled down to the ground most abundantly from all parts of his most blessed body. And yet referred he his mind and will to his father's will. So naturally desired not to die. And casting away that will of nature, following the will of the father, desired to die for the redemption of man. Which redemption could not be done without his death and passion, 
Math. 11.  crying to his father, Non sicut ego volo pater sed sicut tu vis, fiat voluntas tua.  
Even so the holy servants of god, had as Chryst had, two affections: one natural, another supernatural and above nature. Considering the natural desire, they would not die. But yet lamenting the miserable conditions of the body, desired to have the body clothed with the weed of immortality, & to be made clean from all corrupt filthy desires, from all unclean inclinations. considering on the other party, the supernatural desire, they cried everich of them with the Apostle, Cupio dissolui & esse cum Christo. We desire to die, we desire to go out of this corrupt body that so much doth disquiet us, we desire to be with our lord jesus Chryst. Thus they desired that they mought so be rid from the carnal desires and affections of the body: which deceiveth the best man in the world, if he be not well aware.  
And thus to serve the tabernacle of this body, is none other, 
servire tabernaculo qd?  but to follow and fulfil the desires of the flesh. And they do serve this tabernacle, that doth live volupteously, carnally, fleshly, and filthily: following every motion, every titillation and affection of the body: as in gluttony, in commessations, and ebrietyes. They do serve this tabernacle, that liveth in slothfulness, in idleness, in cubilibus & in concupiscentiis, having their pleasure to lie in the beds of concupiscencye, in luxus and lecherous living: sousing themselves in voluptie and carnal behaviour. And they that thus do, do serve the tabernacle. And all such, have not licence to eat of this solemn high sacrifice of this day: I mean the most blessed body and blood of our saviour jesus Chryst. For the apostle saith, Qui panem domini indign manducat, aut calicem domini indign bibit: judicium ●●ibi manducat & bibit. 
1. Corin. A 1.  Et reus e●●t corporis & sanguinis domini. Who soever do eat the body of our lord unworthily, and unworthily do drink his blood: he doth eat and drink his own judgement, and shall be guilty of the body and blood of Chryst. Look every man therefore upon himself, And do as the apostle doth say, Probet semetipsum homo, & tunc de illo pane edat & de chalice bibat. Let every man prove himself, let every man search his own cō●●scyence, ransack his soul, seek every corner thereof, purge & make himself clean, no sin to remain▪ no spot nor blot, no taste nor smack, no colour nor affection of sin: And then let him with a reue●●rence and a filial confidence, eat of this food & drinks of this cup. Then shall he have the effect and merit of this meat and drink, of this passion and death, of this body and blood.  
In this feast of propitiation the carcases and bodies of these beasts slain for sacrifice, were burned and consumed with fire Extra castra, without their tentis. Which signified that now in time of the new testament, in this feast called the feast of our redemption, 
Extra castra.  how that Chryst that lamb, which saint Iohn baptist spoke of, the lamb of god, 
Math. 7.  that taketh away the sin of the world, the very sacrifice of the new law: was had out of their tents, out of the city, out of the yates of the city, in to the open field and hill of Golgotha, the mount of Calvary, and there suffered, there his most blessed body was tortured with such pains, as the cruel jews could with their mischievous & devilish wits contrive, imagine, and invent. But why was not this body of Chryst burned & consumed with fire without the yates, as was their sacrifice without the tents? The reason is this. The passion of Chryst is called Combustio, 
passio xpi combustio.  a burning, for that his body was decoct, parched, and consumed to the death upon the cross with the pangs he suffered in that huge fire of love, of charity, of tribulation of Passion and death.  
For in the old law, every grievous, bitter and painful Passion is called Combustio, a burning, As it is written in joshua, 
joshua. 7.  Quicunque in hoc facinore fuerit deprehensus, comburetur igni. Who soever be taken in this fault, he shall be burned in the fire. And after it followeth in the same Chapter, joshua commanded the Israelites to stone Acham filium Zare for his like offences to the death, & to burn all his goods in valle Anchor. So that it appeareth evidently, every painful death, to be called a burning. But why would not Chryst suffer within the tents, within the City, within the yates? Certainly, for because that within the tents and City, was committed so moche idolatry, such abominable lechery, so filthy adultery, so stinking fornication with such other. What shall I say? I say that in the City reigned all sin.  

Due civitates. Civitas jerusalem.  Saint Augustyne saith, two loves maketh two cities. The love of god maketh the city of jerusalem▪ a holy city, the city of god within man's soul. And in this city reigneth humility, meekness, obediency, charity, faith, hoop, abstinency, chastity, prudency, temperancy, justice, constancy, with such other virtues. The love of the world maketh the city of Babylon, 
Civitas babilonica.  the city of the devil within man's soul. And in this city reigneth pride, pomp, vainglory, arrogancy, disdain, ire, wrath, rancour, malice, displeasure, hateredde, envy, slander, murder, sloth, idleness, worldly pastime, pleasure, gluttony, banqueting, great welfare, avarice, guile, deceit, oppression, usury: with such other. Of which city the prophet saith, 
Psalm 5●●.  Vidi iniquitatem & contradictionem in civitate, dic ac nocte circundat eam super muros iniquitas & labour. In medio eius iniustitia. Non defecit de plateis eius usura & dolus. I see iniquity and contradictyon reigning in the city, aswell annenst truth as annenst justice with all that they may, promoting iniquity, oppressing truth & innocency. And so continually day & night as far as the compass of the walls goeth. And upon the walls he saw iniquity, impiety, labouring in sin. These mal●●dyes with many other doth compass this city, both within and without. These abominations doth in this city reign. And over this he said, that in the mids of this city, reigneth wrong doings, injuries, with afflictyons & oppression of poor people. In the streets of this City raineth usury and guile, falsehood and diceyte in all manner of kinds. Yet there is one thing one ill which the prophet saw not in this city. What is that? That which specially above other things should have been seen. What is it? That which most is abused in this world. I pray the what is it, maake no more a do: tell it? That which almost destroyethe the church of Chryst. Then I pray the show it. Show what it is, let it be known that remedy may be had and the thing helped. What is it? 
Simoni●●  Forsooth it is Simony▪ Simony. Chopping and changing, buying & selling of benefices and of spiritual gifts and promotions. And no better merchandise is now a days, then to procure vousons of patrons for benefices, for prebendꝭ, for other spiritual livelihood: whether it be by suit, request, by letters, by money, bargain or otherways, ye whether it be to buy them or to sell them, thou shalt have marchandes plenty, marchandes enough for it.  
These vousons are abroad here in this city. In which city? In most part of all the great city of this realm. In the shops, in the streets a common merchandise. And they that do come by their benefices or promotions under such manner, shall never have grace of god to profit in the church. I could speak a great deal more in it, but little shall now serve, for that they be here present that may help it▪ that can help it, and I trust in the great mercy of god, they will help it, help to destroy the great abusion of it. For it is now far wide, far out of the neck, far out of frame, and hath great need of admendemente. I commend the redress thereof to god and to them that hath the authority to do it, to correct it, & to amend it. Would god there were an inquiry made throughout this realm, how many hath under Simony & Simonyall patron, entered in to their benefices? Oh what a raafle should be found? Let them beware, let them beware of the words of Peter spoken to Simon Magus which would have bought Donum spiritus sancti, 
Simon Magus. Actu. 8.  videlicet dare spiritum sanctum in signo visibili per impositionem manuum.  
He would have bought of Peter that power to have given the holy ghost by visible sign, that was to have given to men power and authority to have wrought miracles, to have healed the sick, or to have spoken all kinds of languages, by laying his hands on them. And would have sold such power for lucre & for money, spiritual for temporal, temporal for spiritual. Peter saying his devilish mind, said unto him. Pecunia tua tecum sit in perditionem. etc. Thy money shall be to thy confusion and damnation. perish thou & thy money with thee, for that thou wouldest give money for the gift of god.  
We reed like story in the book of Kings, 
4. Regum. 5. Giezi.  of Giezi, that after Heliseus had healed Naaman principe milicie regis Syrie of his lepry, which brought with him to give the prophet for his health, 
Talentum.  ten talents of silver, & two thousand pieces of gold, with ten changes of rich apparel, whereof the prophet would none. That saying Giezi, ran after Naaman when he was departed, and said unto him, My master Helis●●us hath comen unto him two young men from the mount of Ephraim, the children of the prophets. 
〈…〉  give them one talon of silver, & every of them double change of thine apparyll that thou broughtest with the. And he gave him two talents & all the apparel he asked. To whom the prophet his master said, For this 〈◊〉 deed, the lepry of Naaman fall upon the & to all thine issue and succession after the for ever. And straight out of hand, he was stricken a great leyre. See now in these two ensamples the heavy hand of god upon Simonakes.  
simony is to give or to sell a spiritual thing for a temporal, or a temporal for a spiritual. 
Simonia quid?  And all they are Simonakes that doth either buy or sell benefices, prebends, spiritual promotions, the sacraments of the church: either with money or money worth: by unlawful means, unlawful service, unlawful suits, with a corrupt mind in obtaining spiritual promotions, or otherwise like. And till such Simonakes be weeded out & deposed from their spiritual livelihood, that they come so by, it shall not be well in the Church of Chryst, christian souls shall perish. For such be not pastors, sed fures & latrones: privy thieves & open robbers, more regarding the fruits and profet●●es, than the souls that Chryst so dearly bought with the price of his most precious blood.  
But how is it then, that our great prophet saw not this great abomination to reign in the city as he saw other? Surely he saw it. And is contained in this word Iniquitas, which he doubleth and twice rehearseth it in the place afore taken. 
Iniquitas. two.  Where in the first iniquity is contained all temporal and bodily sins: in the second iniquity is contained, all spiritual iniquity and sins of the soul.  
And for that such abundancie of iniquities, and of unlawful pactyons & other sins doth reign usually in Cities, in tents and in houses. Chryst therefore would not suffer within the tents, within houses nor in cities, but did reprove soche wicked Cities saying, We tibi Corozain. We tibi Bethsaida. Nam si in Tyro & Sydone fact essent virtutes, 
Math▪ 11.  quae fact sunt in vobis, olim in cinere & cilicio egissent poenitentiam. Woe be to the Corozain. Woe be to the Bethsaida. For if such virtues had been showed in Tyro and Sydon, as hath been wrought in you: such preachings, such opening of scripture, such wonders and miracles, such godly instructions and ensamples: they would undoubtedly have done penance, lying in the ashes, in the dust, prostrating themselves like great penitentes unto th'earth▪ wearing here next unto their bodies, & would have cried for Mercy, Mercy, Mercy: and never to have risen till they mought have perceived the great mercy of god to have wrought in them.  
Verumtamen. etc. But I shall tell you one thing saith Chryst. The sins of Tyro and Sydon shallbe at that day of judgement more remissyble, more easily punished and not so damnably, as your sins shall be. For it is more grievous to repel faith, virtue, and the truth of the word of god: then never to hear the word of god and to die in gentilytie. And it is moor sin to know the laws of god and not to keep them, than not to know them and never to observe them. For scripture saith, 
Lu●●e 12.  Sciens voluntatem domini & non faciens, vapulabit plagis multis. And so christ prayed in time of his passion most specially for the ignorant jews that crucified him, not knowing him. He cried pater ignosce illis. Father forgive them. And why? He showeth the cause. What is it? Quia nesciunt quid faciut. They wot not what they do. They wot not what they do. He alledgede for their excuse, their ygnorauncye: that he mought the sooner obtain mercy for them. And so to show that they that doth offend by ygnorauncye, do not so grievously offend, as they that do offend by malice or of knowledge. He prayed for ton●● more specially then for t'other.  
And followeth in the same letter. And thou ●●apharnaū that haste been extolled to the heavens, whose fame hath been spread far and near, wide and brood for a famous city, because of the notable preaching the word of god and miracles within the showed: And because thou haste rejected this word, & not following the holy ensamples and miracles that hath been done in thee, Vsque in infernum descends. Thou shalt descend into hell. Thou shalt be more grievously punished then the Sodomites. For if the Sodoms' & Gomors had herd that preaching and seen those miracles & virtues that thou haste herd & seen, they mought have stand till this day. For they would have done penance as did the ninivites at the preaching of jonas, & have been so saved by penance. I preach and do miracles amongs you myself said christ. Ye hear all truth by me preached, ye see all kinds of miracles by me wrought. Yet ye will give no credence, but of malice do repunge and reject that that ye know to be true, to your extreme damnation & confusion. And to reject the word of god and his truth when ye here it and know it, it is more grievous sin than the sin of the Sodomites. For it is Peccatum in spiritum sanctum, wittingly to impunge the truth of the word of god. which sin is accounted irremissible. Never to be forgiven, neither here neither else where.  
By these rebukes & exclamations made by Chryst anent these cities, we may soon perceive and conjecture, how moche ill, how great perils, what abundance of sin doth reign in cities to the damnation of the sinners, ye & many times to the damnation & destruction of the cities, if it were not for the prayer and good living of some good people: which many times causeth god to spaare and forbear his struck of vengeance that he would else give, 
Gene. 18.  were it not for them. As we reed in Genesis when Abraham maked desire to god to spare Sodom & not to destroy it if fifty just people mought therein be found. It was granted him, but so many mought not be found within the city. Then maked he further desire, if that five and forty mought be found, which could not be. After, came down to forty just people, they could not be found. After that descended to thirty. They could not be found. After came to five and twenty, yet it could not be. After to ten, and could not be so many just people found there, but all wretches & sinners, all devilish livers, four persons except. Then god departed from him, & no more would hear him.  
What and god would so now determine to come down with his hand of punishment, and say, Discendam & videbo utrum clamorem qui venit ad me opere compleverint, an non est ita ut sciam? 
Gene. 18.  To view the cities of the world now a days? What abominations should he find in them worthy extreme punishment? What fornications, what adulteries, what stupour, what deflowering of virgins, Sodomitical and unnatural sins? What scortuous houses, lecherous beds, advoterous chambers, fleshly concupyscencyes, surfettynges, drunkenness, gluttonous living with such other thereunto belonging? What fraud, guile, deceit? What falseheed in buying and selling? What usury, simony, blasphemy, perjury, idolatry, with other iniquities of all kinds? He should find he should find in a great sort of cities, burghes, towns and houses: stinking lecherous beds. I fear far beyond home, far beyond the abomination of the Sodomes'. And yet he spaareth. Yet he holdeth his striking hand. Yet he withdraweth vengeance by the prayers and good living of some abraham's, of some of Abraham his children, of some good men & women. And yet I fear the end what will come thereof if we amend not in season, if we amend not in season.  
I fear the vees, the vees in scripture: the We tibi, 
Ue. ve. ve  We vobis. The threatenings of god, & the curse of god given in scripture. I fear they will fall upon us, if we do not penance in season. Surge ergo. Surge qui dormis. Arise out of thy bed of sin thou lecher. Arise out of thy den of sloth. Arise out of thy custom of sin. Arise from thy wickedness thou sinner. Arise, arise. We say god is merciful. We say god will forgive. We say ask & have, and so forsooth. And we bring the people with fair promises in our preachyngꝭ into such presumption of the mercy of god, that we almost neither fere him nor his justice. Beware, let us christian people beware, for god doth threaten us with these dreadful words. 
Luce. 10  We vobis, ve vobis. Tollerabilius erit Sodomis, & omnibus civitatibus gentium in die judicii q vobis. Woe be unto you sinful livers, woe be to you false christian people, that doth not observe the laws of god, woe be to you for your abomination of living. It shall be more tolerable to the Sodoms' and Gomors', and to the cities of the gentiles at that day of judgement, then to you.  
Loo christian man, loo. God doth ferry over and defer that dreadful account of our lives and deeds till the day of judgement. Where and when he will minister justice & not mercy: unless it be that he damneth not the sinner so deeply as he hath deserved. And this dradful day and great accounts we regard not, we fear not, we take no heed of: but then we shall feel and have experience of it to our great fear, to our great damnation and pain, if we provide not therefore in season.  
But why shall it be more tolerable to the Sodoms' and gentiles then to false christian people at tha●● day? verily for that they heard never the word of god declared amongs them. They had never the prophettis nor scripture. They had never the gospel taught them. We have Moses & the prophets. We have the old testament and the new. We have the Gospel and the holy scripture published, taught & preached amongis us: spoken, opened, declared, & manifestly showed unto us. We have it in Hebrew, in Greek, in Latyn, and in english. We have it in our own mother tongue. We joy and reiose moche and so may we, that we so have it in our vulgar speech, that we hear it, that we reed it, that we have it in our bosoms and hanging at our girdles, that it is daily preached amongs us. But what shall all this profit, if we live not thereafter? if we live not well and Chrystyanly? What shall we be the better for it if we amend not our lives? We continue for all that in sin, we do no penance, we fear not god nor his threatenings in scripture, we fear not his justice, we fear not his judgement, we fear not hell. The sins of the Sodoms', of the Gomors, of the Corozaites, of the Bethsaites and of the gentiles, shall be more remissyble, of less damnation and less punishment than ours: then ours that are christian people, that have the scripture so ready at hand and liveth not thereafter.  
Saint Augustyne saith of Aristotele, 
August●●nus.  Omnium Philosophorum profundius racet in inferno. Of all the Philosophers that ever were, Arystotele lieth lowest in hell. And why? For he had most knowledge of all philosophers, and was driven by his natural knowledge, 
〈…〉  to know primam causam, god: and yet worshipped him not. So we christian people, we have the books and gospel of Chryst. We have all the scripture in english, we have knowledge of god and of his laws: and yet do not we live thereafter. What shall we say to it▪ but that, omnium hominum iacebimus profundius nos christiani in dampnatione in inferno. Of all the people of the world, if we be dampened, we shall be most grievously dampened. We. we christian people.  
I promise you, 
Lapis offentionis Petra scandali. 1 Petri. ●● Roma. 9 Esai. 8. 2●●.  I promise you this gospel of Chryst (as it is written of Chryst himself) is Lapis offencionis, & petra scandali. Which words were spoken both of Chryst & of his scripture. Peter showeth in his first epistle, and is grounded in Esai, that god did put in Zion a stone, a high stone, a great stone, a corner stone, a provede stone, a chosen stone, a precious stone. And that they that believeth in this stone, shall be saved. saying further, This stone shall be honour to you that doth believe in him. This stone shallbe to them that believeth not in him, Lapis offentionis the stone that the workmen, the builders that David spoke of, 
Psalm. 117  did reprove and reject, Lapidem quem reprobaverunt edificantes, hic factus est in caput anguli. But that notwithstanding, this stone is maked the chief stone in all the building, the chief stone in the wall. The corner stone that joineth and holdeth fast all the work together. This stone is Non credentibus, lapis offentionis, The stone of offence, the stone of slander, 
Christ is lapis angularis.  to them that offendeth in word. Here are marvelous sayings. Who is this stone? and what is this stone? Chryst is this stone. Chryst is the great & high stone that beareth the hole church, that buildeth to the heavens, that holdeth up all, that joineth the walls together, 
Lapis approbatus  joining the jews and gentiles in one church. Lapis approbatus, a proved stone, a tried stone, 
Lapis electus. Lapis preciosus.  tried, tried to be a firm strong stone. Lapis electus, a very elect stone, chosen of god to the work of our redemption. Lapis preciosus, a precious stone, for that the godhead was joined to the manhood. And as this stone is to those that liveth Chrystyanly, honour, reward, defence and protection: even so is he to sinful livers Lapis offentionis & petra scandali. A stone of offence, a stone of slander, and so said Simeon in the gospel, 
Luce. 2.  Hic positus est aliis in ruinam, aliis in resurrectionem cui contradicetur. Chryst th●●s stone was, is, and shall be in to the ruin and fall of many, and in to the rising and saving of many. In ruinam multorum. In to the ruin and destruction of many. Of how many? surely of all those that presumeth upon their own justice, upon their own deeds: that doth not believe in god and in his scripture. He shall be into the ruin and damnation of them that will be seen and taken in the world outwardly for just and righteous, and be inwardly hollow, false, wicked and sinful, ypocryus & untrue to god. To these & such other, Chryst is Lapis offentionis & petra scandali, & in ruinam.  
He is called a stone for the similitude & property of a stone. He was called Lapis & Petra. 
Lapis Petra Christus.  And both words doth signify a stone. Lapis a little stone, Petra a great stone. Lapis, after he is polished: Petra, afore he is polished. Chryst was Lapis offentionis when he appeared here in the world, and showed himself to be but a very little stone, a stone not polished. little. So little that he was not known. little, for he was humble, meek, low, vile, poor, reject, reprovedde, nought set by, and of no reputation. He was then Lapis offentionis. Over trodden of the world, not regarded, but reiagged and out cast of all. Not had in estimation, evil entreated of the jews, for that he showed himself in so humble, meek, and so lowly a fashion.  
They took no heed of this little stone, they saw the frail flesh the body, but the majesty of his godhead they saw not. They considered the mortal man, whom they mought have known for god by his works, but would not. They thought they could not stumble at so little a stone, & went about to break him in pieces, utterly to put him out of fashion, out of memory. But the more they hew upon him, the more he grew, the more he waxed, the more his fame spread. As Daniel witnesseth saying, 
Danie. two.  Crevit lapis & factus est mons magnus, qui replevit totam tarram. This stone grew and increased, and was maked a great hill, and replenyshede the hole world with his majesty and power, with his word and with his miracles.  
Even when the jews had beaten him in gobbets as ye will say, beating and scourging him, ragging and renting his precious body, nailing him to the cross, thinking so utterly to have destroyed him and his name for ever. Did not he then grow like to a great mountain? Did not his name and fame then spread through the world? Did not all creatures than confess him to be god? In token whereof, did not the veil of the temple rent in twain? 
Ueluin. Terra. Saxa. Sepulcra Mortui. Sol.  Did not the earth quaver and quaake through the world? Did not the stones break in gobbets? Did not the graves open? Did not the dead bodies rise from death to the life & appeared in the city to their acquaintance? Did not the son & the bodies above lose their light by three hours space through the world? Did not Dionysius Ariopagita then reeding in Athens, 
dionisius  (being but an infidel and a Pagan, but yet a notable Philosopher) seeing these marvelous wonders say, aut deus patitur, aut machina mundi statim dissoluetur? Either god doth suffer death, either the hole world shall now perish and be destroyed? 
Latro. Luce 23.  Did not the thief openly confess him to be god even when he was most derided of the jews? crying, Remember me lord when thou comest in to thy kingdom? Remember me Lord? remember me? Did not Chryst in token that he was very god, 
Christus.  grant unto that self same thief, then and there Paradyse? Did not Chryst in the departure of his soul cry cum clamore valido? 
Clamour.  with an huge voice which never man did but he only at the departing of the soul? Did not Centuryo and all that were with him, 
Centurio Luce. 23.  saying these great wonders that were then showed openly cry Vere filius dei erat iste? Undoutedly this was the very son of god? 
Populus  Did not all the people that were present at this great spectacle, go home to their houses holding down their heeds, being as men amaased, abbashed, stricken with great drade and heaviness, fearing the end what should follow, knock their brestis? 
Percutientes peeto ea.  As who say alas what have we done? This was the son of god? The great prophet of the world? The saviour of mankind? Alas what have we done?  
How marvelously grew the fame of christ abroad more and more even at his death, even when the jews thought his name should have been clean extinct and utterly forgotten. Did not that noble and just man joseph of Arimathia (of that city of juda) come boldly to pilate and asked the body of jesus to take it down and bury it? 
joseph.  And he and Necodemus took it down from the cross, 
Nichodemus.  and wrapped it most reverently in a fine clean Syndone, a cloth of reins as it were, a fine cloth: and sprynklede this precious stone the body of Chryst plentifully and abundantly with sweet and fragrante Aromates, with myrrh and Aloes, with spices of the best sort to the maintenance of one. C. pound weight, preciously confect and mingled: and put him into a new tomb wherein never body was buried afore? and laid a great stone upon him? honourably? But was here all? Nay. 
Maria Magdalena. jacobi. Salome.  The three mary's Maria Magdalene, Jacobi & Salome, marking where he was buried, bought Aromata, spices & the most precious unctyons they could get for money, to dress and anoint this precoyus body. And because it was to laate that friday to do their obsequy and service thereunto, and on the Sabaoth day it was notiefull to do such things: They came early therefore on the Sunday in the morning to the tomb with these precious spices and unctyons, to have ministered to this holy body obsequy, honour and reverence.  
And going by the way, one questioned with another, who shall lift up this great stone from the mouth of the tomb? 
Math. 28.  We are women, and are not able to do it. Who shall do it? And in mean time came a great earthquave, and an angel came from heaven and removed the stone and sat upon it. He was as bright as the lightening, his clothes as white as the snow. And for fear of him, the keepers that watched the sepulchre, fell down amazed, as they had been dead, as men in a trance: and straight thereupon came these mary's, and would have entered the sepuchre, and were waare of this young man, an angel in that similitude, appearing in a white vesture, being on the ryghtsyde of the tomb. And for fear of him, were marvelously astonied.  
To whom the angel said, Women: be not afraid. I know that ye do seek jesus of nazareth which was crucified. 
Resurrectio xpi.  He is not here. He is risen, as he said before he would. Come ye near and view the place where he was put. Go your way, tell his disciples and Peter this, and he will be there afore you. He appeared afterward unto them, and to his disciples many times and many ways, proving himself by many evident arguments and proves to be verily risen, as in the gospel openly appeareth.  
The fyftieth day after his resurrection, he ascended to the heavens, 
Ascentio Christi.  and sitteth on the right hand of the father in glory. He shall come again & judge the world. Whose fame and name is now openly known and spread over all. Over all the world.  
See now how he is grown from a little stone, in magnum saxum in to a great huge stone, into a great rock, in to a great hill, ye into a great mountain▪ He was here in the world lapis offensionis, & petra scandali. He was here grievously offended, outragyouslye slandered, and to this day is, both offended & slaunderede, by thy wretched living thou sinner, by thy sinful deeds, by thine inobediencye in breaking his laws, in blaspheming his name, and otherwise offending his majesty. Beware, this stone else shall fall upon thee, this stone shall utterly destroy the if thou look not the better unto thyself. This stone else shall condemn the when he shall come at that day: when this scripture also that thou haste so usually in thy hands, shall condemn the for that thou knewest it, reddest it and heardest it declared unto thee, & followed it not. For scripture saith as is afore rehearsed, 
Lu●●e. 1ST.  Qui cognovit voluntatem domini sui & non facit, vapulabit plagis multis. Qui non cognovit & non fecit, plagis vap●●labit paucis. He that knoweth the will & pleasure of his Lord & doth it not, he shallbe bet with many stripes. And he that knoweth not his lords pleasure and doth offend him, he shall be punished, but more easily.  
And to return again to this stone. Likewise as a stone lying still is many ways profitable and hurteth no body, 
Soli●●●●do.  unless he will wilfully stir the stone, or stombe at the stone, or hurt himself negligently annenst the stone: Even so Chryst our saviour is a profitable stone to all them that faithfully cleaveth unto him, and he defendeth them from storms & from adversities that may chance to their souls by temptation or otherwise. But if we negligently or voluntaryly do offend him, if we slander him, and despise his commandments, not obeying his laws, not following the wholesome instructions of his scripture: we stumble then at him, and he & his said scripture shall accuse us and condemn us at that day. And he shallbe to us, Lapis offentionis & petra scandali. A heavy stone, a weighty stone, & shall fall upon us, press us, break us, convict us, and condemn us unto everlasting death, and pains.  
It followeth in the letter taken, Extra portam civitatis etiam passus est Christus. 
Extra portam.  Chryst suffered not only without the tents and city, but also without the yates of the city. For the yates of the city were also spottedde with sin. By the gates of this city are understand the gates of the city of man's soul, of whom the prophet writeth by an other word, 
Ieremi. 9  Mors intrat per foenestras. And calleth them here windows & there gates. Death entereth in to the soul by the windows or gatis, by the five senses of the body, which are called the five wits of man. Death and sin entereth by these in to the soul. How? verily by sight, by smelling, by hearing, by touching, and by tasting. And christ never sinned in any of these, nor any other ways, but suffered death without guilt, that we by this his godly ensample, may so shut these gates of our souls that no carnal desire, no fleshly living, no filthiness do enter in to our hearts by them. He therefore went out of the city, out of the tents, out of the gates. And as he went out of the gates to suffer for us, to sanctify us by his blood: so let us go out of these gates, out of all carnal affection and from all delectation of these our five senses, from all filthy living, from all occasion of sin that doth corrupt our souls by any of the five wits. And let us suffer somewhat for Christ that suffered so much for us.  
Exeamus igitur saith the Apostle. Exeamus ad eum extra castra. Exeamus. Let us go out, let us go out. From whence? out of the tents, out of the cities, out of the gates, out of our tabernacles, out of our bodily and fleshly lusts, fleshly desires and fleshly conversation, for it stinketh in the sight of god. And as long as we abide within the compass of fleshly living and carnal conversation, so long we shall not come to god. For to him we can not come, unless we go out, unless we flee the corrupt body and his fleshly affections. Ye shall see that it is meet so for us to do, by ensample of them that are good married people living after the true rules of matrimony. For though the act of matrimony be lawful, honest, & necessary, meritorious, and of high merit if it be well observed, Ye and as the Apostle doth call it Honorabile connubium, 
Hebre. 1ST.  & thorum immaculatum, Honourable matrimony & the pure clean immaculate bed: the bed without sin if it be duly observed: Yette it is not sitting nor comely for the married man or woman, straight from that bed, straight from that lawful merytoryus act, to come to this great sacrifice, to this heavenly food, to eat of this flesh and blood of Chryst and god. For the said Apostle where he writeth to the Corinthians, doth plainly counsel them that are maryede, by their own free will and mutual consent, to abstain from that lawful meritorious act ad tempus, for a time, for the time of prayer: to the intent their prayer may be the more devout and better herd. How moche more than willeth he them to abstain from that act when they shall go to receive this high sacrifice? this holy food? god and man? Doth not he to them that will eat of this sacrifice say, Probet seipsum homo, & sic de illo pane edat. etc.? Let every man prove himself, search his conscience, purge his soul: & then eat of this blessed sacrifice, then go to it with a reverence & high devotion. We must therefore first go out from these cities, out from these tents, out of these gates of this carnal body, and forsake the filthy corrupt fleshly abusions that are commonly used and committed in all these senses: and then purge us, cleanse us and maake us pure and apt to receive this holy sacrifice. For many filthy imaginations remaineth of these fleshly acts, many ill circumstancyes, not meet having them to eat of this holy meat. Therefore first purge and apt ourselves to the receit thereof. And then we go Extra, than we go out, than we go out with Chryst that suffered Extra portam, without the gate of the City.  
Now if the good devout married man and woman by the counsel of the Apostle doth abstain Ad tempus ex consensu ut vacent orationi, 
●●. Corint. 7.  for a time by their own mutual consent, to give themselves more devoutly to prayer, that so their prayer may be the better and sooner heard of god: 
Ad sacerdotes.  Moche moor then ought we priests of congruence & duty to live clean and chaste, which are bounden daily, nightly, hourly, ye continually either to pray, or to study, or to preach, or to give good counsel, or to offer up that most holy sacrifice for the people and ourselves, or to be ever ready to minister the sacraments at all times, day and night as necessity shall require, & as they shallbe called upon by those that hath need to call for the same: Now to christian and confirm, now to minister the sacramentis of penance and order, now the sacraments of matrimony, of the altar, and extreme unction. So that we bushops and priests in especial & above all other, aught of our congruence and of very duty, ever to be in a readiness, ever to be clean, ever to be undefylede and unspotted in our living as nigh as frailty of nature will suffer, that our prayers may be the better herd, the more alowede & more pleasant in the ears of god, and that our ministrations may be to him more acceptable, more profitable to our souls, and more desirous and pleasant to the people for whom we are ordained ministers. And let everich of us follow the counsel of the apostle. mortify our members of our body, keep under the flesh, 
Collosse. 3.  extinct vices and concupiscencyes of the same as nigh as we may, And say with the same Apostle, 
Galat ●●  We be crucified with Chryst to the cross. We live not as the body will, but christ liveth in us. Christ'S life we live or aught to live, him we ought to follow. And this is the going out of the tents, this is the going out of the cities & gates, which the Apostle speaketh of saying, 
Lite●●e●●.  Exeamus 〈◊〉 eum extra castra.  
But what shall we do there when we be thus gone out of the gaates to christ? It followeth in the letter, Improperium eius portantes. 
〈…〉  We must bear improper●● eius. We must help to bear his great cross, his weighty burden the great reproach I mean, the reproof, the rebukes, the viletyes, the contumelies, the obprobryes▪ the abloquys, the pains, the Passions, the pangs and the cross. Penance, penance I mean, tribulations, adversities, miseries & infirmities with Christ's and for the love of Chryst. For his love to bear pacy●●ently the reproach of the cross, the reproof of the world, in following thy Chryst, in bearing his cross, in doing thy penance, in following him in perfit and christian living, in despising the world, in punishing the body and such other: if we list to be part takers of this holy sacrifice, of this immaculate lamb, the lamb of god which was as on this day offered upon the altar of the Cross for us.  
The Apostle saith, 
Galathi. 6.  Ego porto stigmata jesu Christi in corpore meo. I bear the marks of the wounds of jesus Chryst in my body. 
Stigmata quid?  Stigmata. Stigmata are called the scotches, the marks or scars, that are left in the flesh after a wound is healed. And here doth signify the infirmities, the adversities, the tribulations and afflictyons both of the mind and of the body, which the Apostle suffered for Chryst.  
For he was beat, he was scourged, he was banished, enprisoned, turmoiled, lapydate and stooned. He was reject and had in hatred of the world, with suffering innumerable injuries for Chryst his saake, as in his epistles appeareth, 
2. Corin. 11.  saying. In laboribus plurimis, in carceribus abundantius, in plagis supra modum, in mortibus frequenrer: quinquies quadragenas una minus accepi. Ter virgis coesus, semel lapidatus, ter naufragium perpessus, nocte & die in profundo maris. And besides this, following reconeth up the great heap of dangers and adversities he suffered. And all for Chryst. Therefore he saith, I bear the marks and scars of Christ: not mine own, but of Chryst and for Chryst, for speaking and preaching him, for shewing of truth and of his word.  
And thus the sacrifice of the old law doth signify and figure unto us spiritually, the very sacrifice of the new law. And by both of them, the apostle admonisheth & exhorteth all christian people to live soche a pure life, as that which was figured in the old law, may be by us taught, of us received, borne away, and fulfilled in the new law.  
And as the bodies of the beasts so killed in sacrifice were burned Extra castra, 
Corpora combutta.  without the tents: even so jesus Chryst was turmoiled, tortured, passyoned & pained, killed & slain in sacrifices without the gates of the city. So instructing us to suffer without the tents, without the cities and gaates: I mean to cast away all outward and bodily pleasures, all carnal affections, which are commonly used in cities & towns. And to suffer, to suffer for christ penance & pains, to punish and afflict the body that hath lived so naughtily, that hath offended god so grievously: and from henceforth to live without deadly sin, to live a christian life, clean from sin, in a clean body and a clean soul, and to forsake suspect places where sin is used, so every way to flee the occasion of sin. The occasion of sin and danger of the soul.  
This sacrifice in the old law, 
Levitt 16. Novem conditions huius dici.  was commanded to be done the seventh month, the tenth day: saying, The seventh month, the tenth day, ye shall afflict and punish your souls. That day, ye shall do no vile work. That day, ye shallbe cleansed and purged from all your sins. That day, shallbe your Sabaoth day, your day of rest. That day, ye shall afflict & punish your souls with perpetual religion. That day, shall be to you most solemn and festival. That day, shall be called holy. That day, shall be the appointed day when ye shall pray for all the multitude of Israel, and for all their sins.  
Will ye see now how this day of the old law called Festum propitiationis, doth quadrate and agree with this day of the new law called Festum redemptionist? 
〈…〉   
Ye shall understand that by the seventh month, for that the number of seven which is the number of the Sabaoth kept every seventh day, is understand the time of grace. The Sabaoth day, is the day of rest, of quiet and devotion. To quiet yourselves in god, to apply yourself all ye can that day to his service, abstening that day from all vile works, in especial from sin which is the most vile work of all, and betokeneth the time of grace. In which time Chryst came into the world & suffered, whereby he gave grace to the world, and maked the year of grace, the great jubilee, the joyous year, the year of gladness, the time of comfort the very Sabaoth day to the holy fathers that were in Limbo delivering them from pain, giving them the Sabaoth and restful day of eternal glory, and to all their followers that liveth Chrystyanly.  

Annus iubileus.  This was with them the year of jubilee. This was the year of grace, the year of mercy, the pleasant year that isaiah speaketh of christ, saying, Spiritus domini super me, eo ꝙ unxerit me dominus. Ad annunciandum mansuetis misit me, 
Esai. 6.  ut mederer contritis cord, & praedicarem captivis indulgentiam & clausis aperitionem: ut praedicarem annum placabi●●em, ut consolarer oens languentes, & dimitrere confractos in requiem. & cetera. The spirit of god (he saith) is upon me, and hath anointed me, the father hath sent me to show to meek people grace, to heal contrite penitent persons, to preach pardon & remission to captives, liberty to prisoners, to preach the year pleasant to god, to comfort all sick and sore, to put those that are wearied in pain into rest. 
Dies sabbati.  This day is this Sabaoth day, the day of rest. This day Chryst made Sabaoth day, holy day amongis his saints in Limbo. This day he changed their darkness in to light, their pain in to pleasure, their bands in to liberty, their prison and hell in to Paradyse, their heaviness in to joy, their sorrow in to comfort, their labours into quiet, their misery into glory. What shall I say? I say all this signifieth, that we ought to keep our Sabaoth day holy, quietly, in heavenly contemplation, sincerely in devotion, devoutly in prayer, obsequiously in god. That day, that day to abstain from all vile works, from all sin, from servitude & bondage of the devil. Under this manner we ought to keep the Sabaoth day. But all this we turn upsodown, as the common vulgar is, turn the cat in the pan. Which is asmuch to say. Nothing is observed taht aught to be observed, but do even clean contrary, to that we are bounden to do.  
This Sabaoth day we maake now most vile. In this Sabaoth day we do most offend god, and do commit most sin, both in the church, in the city, in the town, in the villadge, in the house, in the field, in the body & in the soul. Look, look and consider well the behaviour of the world in these things. And we shall soon perceive the mischiefs and the abominations that are custumablye used on the holy Sabaoth day: in pride, in vainglory, in arrogancy, in disdain, hypocrisy, blasphemy, perjury, incontinency, fornication, adultery, incest, sacrilege, unlawful games, gluttony, drunkenness with other such more infinite abusions. Think you that god is pleased with soche keeping of our Sabaoth day? Nay, nay. The devil doth mock such keeping of the holy days. Doth not the prophet say, Deriserunt Sabbata vesti 〈◊〉▪ The devils doth deride mock and scorn your holy days? this manner of keeping your holy days? 
〈…〉  And god shall strike it, god shall punish it, god will avenge it. It is his day, & aught to be kept in holiness. And to him only.  
And if we well consider the tenth day of the seventh month that the law speaketh of, it is this day▪ 
Decimus dies septimi mensis.  Because the number of ten appertaineth Ad decalogum, unto the ten commandments. For in the commandments is the perfection of all the law. And the perfection of the law was as on this day declared, opened & perfected, when Christ hanging on the cross, even at the departure of the soul, cried Consummatum est. 
johan. 19  All is fulfilled. All that is written of the son of man concerning man's redemption, is in this passion fulfilled & done. Here Chryst fulfilled all the ten precepts.  
Here he fulfilled all the commaundmentꝭ in this one Passion, in the love he baare to the father by his obedience unto the death: and by the love he baare unto man in suffering this death for him. 
Math. 22.  In hiis duobus pendet tota lex & prophetae. In that he showed so high charity as never was showed afore. The apostle saith, Finis praecepti charitas. And again plenitudo legis dilectio. 
1. Thimo. 1.  charity and love, is the very end, the very fulfilling and perfection of the law. All this law of god stands in love. In love of god and love of thy neighbour.  
But when was charity and love moor liberally showed then upon this day? christ all days of his life, showed ever abundant love & charity to the world: in preaching, in teaching, in showing to the people the ways to god: in instructing them to virtue, in feeding them, in healing them, in working amongs them all manner of miracles.  

multi gradus charitatis.  But that that ye call the high point of charity, was never showed till this day. For there are many degrees of charity. It is a great point of charity (as saith saint Iohn) when thou seest thy neighbour in necessity, not to shut thy bowels of mercy anent him: but to help him, & refresh him with somewhat in time of his great need. 
1. johan. 8.  That if thou do not, Quomodo mane●● charitas 〈◊〉 saith Ioh●●▪ How doth charity remain in thee? This 〈…〉 all men to help the●●●●edye in time of necessity. The poor person that is in extreme need, not to suffer him to perish for lack of meat, of drink, of cloth, of harbour, of 〈◊〉, of 〈◊〉, of wrappyngꝭ, of dressing, of 〈…〉 forte. Suffer him not for lack to die at thy gate as Lazarus did at the rich man's door and was dampened therefore: ever since crying to Abraham for one drop of water for his comfort and relief, and is denied, never shall have it, butt for ever burn in hell. An high point of charity therefore is it, to help, help and succour the needy in time of his necessity, of extreme misery. Ever in such case to put to thy merciful hand. For as saint Ambrose doth say, Si non pavisti occidisti. If the miserable wretch die for want of thy comfort & relief, thou sleest him. Thou shalt maake answer for him, as Dives doth for Lazarus. Reed the story in Luke the syxtenth. charity therefore I say requireth every person after his ability, to aid, comfort and succour the needy, every one according to his ability, in case of need. Is there any greater charity than this? Ye forsooth. Luke writeth of a man that laboured in going from jerusalem unto Jericho: 
Luce. ●●.  And thieves fell upon him, spoiled him, rob him, wounded him and left him for dead. There lying sore wounded at point of death, it chanced a priest to pass by. He saw this sore man lying there, 
Prisbite●●.  grievously grunting and groninge, and passed by, having no pity nor compassion upon him: not somuch, as to give him one word of comfort. Likewise after him came by a deacon and passed forth, 
Diaconus.  showing no point of mercy, no compassion, no pity, no comfort, but let him lie. 
Samaritanus  After him came by a Samaritane. This Samaritane saying this miserable person thus spoiled, wounded and left for dead: moved with pity and compassion, drew near, and put to his hands and comfortably handled the wounds, scoured them with wine, refreshed & anointed them with oil, gently and well-fevouredly wrapped & lapped them, & laying him upon his beast, brought him in to an house, and diligently looked unto him for his health. The next day came to see him, and gave the owner of the stable two pence, saying unto him, Take charge I pray the of this weak sore man. And what so ever thou dost bestow moor upon him for his health, I shall at my return allow it thee, what soever it cost. Here was a high charity, here was a great love, here was great mercy, high pity and marvelous compassion showed.  

3. Math. 18. Debtor.  Is there any greater charity than this? Ye forsooth. What is that? Mathewe writeth of a great man that had many debtors, and amongs all, one was brought forth that owed to him ten thousand talentis. This vulgar talent was accounted inter judeos & Hebreos to contain. 
Talentum quid?  CC.lxxxvii. li. and. x.ss. So that ten thousand talentes appeareth to be a wonderful sum and a marvelous great debt. This great man required his money. The debtor had it not to pay. This great man commanded his debtor and his wife, his children and all that he had to be sold, and he to have the money in recompense of his debt. This debtor did prostrate himself to the earth, and maked humble suit and petition unto this great man, saying, Sir, have patience and suffer me a while, and I will pay you all my debts. The lord moved with pity, forgave him all, & put him and his clearly to liberty.  
Here was a marvelous great charity. Is there any higher charity than this? 
4. Math. 18. Peter.  Ye, ye forsooth. What is it? Peter came to Chryst and asked him a question. How often his brother offending him, was he bound to forgive him, seven times? Chryst answered. I say thou shalt forgive him not only seven times, but seventy and seven times. But what if he offend the seven score times, shalt thou forgive him▪ Ye though it were seven hundred times, ye seven thousand times, Ye toties quoties as saint Jerome expoundeth it. 
jeronimus.  As often as ever he doth offend thee, so often art thou bounden for gods saake to forgive him his offence. Non iniuriam, sed offensam. The injuries & wrongs thou art not bounden to forgive, but may by charity sue for thy right by course of law, & sue for thy money, thy lands, thy goods and such other. But th'offence, the displeasure, the trespass, the heart burning, the manner of doing the thing: thou art bound toties quoties to forgive, toties quoties as often times as he doth trespass thee: and not to owe any grudge or displeasure anent him. That if thou so do, thou showest a high charity. But if thou do both forgive the offence and also the injury, thou showest a far greater charity.  
But is there any higher point of charity's th●● this? These are great. Yet there is one passeth them all. What is that? Forsooth when a man will suffer 〈◊〉 to save his friends life. Ye but who will do tha●●▪ Who will voluntarily die for his friend? Man●● there are that will be bound, that will spend & 〈◊〉 their goods rather then their friend should misca●●●▪ But who will die for his friend? We reed & see many times, the father, the mother doth put themselves in danger of life for their child. We see also the servant for the master being in danger, doth venture to run between his master & the dagger point or the dint of the sword, and runneth upon death to save his masters life, ye and many times is slay in his masters defence, by reason whereof his master escapeth. Is not this a great love? yes forsooth. Ye but he did this upon adventure, upon a hazard as ye will say. He mought aswell by manhood, fortune, or chance medlaye have escaped as to have been slain, which maketh him the bolder. Ye but what father or or mother, what child or servant will wilfully, patiently and without resistance, lay down his heed upon the block, or run to the gybbytte or golow tree, or otherwise: wylfully, voluntaryly, patiently and without resistance die for their friend or foo? We reed of none unless it be the holy martyrs that voluntarily did suffer for the love of god. And this is the greatest charity we speak of yet. For Iohn saith, Maiorem charitatem nemo habet, q̄ ut animam suam ponat quis pro amicis suis. 
johan. 15.  No man may have a greater charity, then to die for his friends. There can no love nor charity be greater than this, can there trow ye? Ye forsooth. What is that I pray you? what is it?  
Mori pro inimicis. To die for thine enemies. Quis est hic & laudabimus eum? But who will so do? Show one since the beginning of the world, 
Ecclesi. 31.  and we will laud him and praise him above all other. For such one is praise worthy. Can we show one such? Ye forsooth. Where shall we find him? where shall we find him? Yonder he lieth. Where? In yonder sepulchre. What is he? what is his name, tell us that we may know him? His name is jesus christ, jesus of Nazareth.  
O jesus of Nazareth. Yonder in the tomb lieth thy most precious body, thy lively body, not dead, but a live. A live. Nam Christus resurgens ex mortuis, iam non moritur, 
Roma. 6.  mors illi ultra non dominabitur. Quod enim vivit, vivit deo. Chryst is risen from death, now he is not dead. Death shall have no more dominion over him. That he liveth, he liveth in god and to god, he liveth and shall reign ever a live. He died oones for us, and his death was our life▪ His resurrection was the cause of our resurrection. His ascentyon was and shallbe the cause of our entry in to heaven and possession there. This is he that hath showed this high point of charity. This is he that hath done this valiant act. This is he that hath suffered death for his friends and for his foes, for his lovers and for his enemies, for the & for me, for all the world. This is he. This is he that did put himself wilfully in his enemies hands, that voluntarily suffered this vile, rebukeful, slanderous, panguyous, painful & shameful death of the cross, and now is the most glorious death of deaths. This is he that washed and purged us all in his blood, that redeemed us, that justified us, that restored us from death to life, that brought us out of thraldom, that maked us free, that hath reconciled us unto the father, that hath restored us to grace, that hath maked us Haeredes, haeredes dei, 
Roma▪ 8.  cohaerede●● Christi. That hath maked us enhereters, enhereters to god, coenhereters with Chryst, with himself. This is he whom we ought to laud, to love, to serve & praise, whom we ought to honour and worship, to adore and do sacrifice unto, for that he hath done so much for us that none else could nor would do. So that on this day was fulfilled all things that was promised in the law concerning the redemption of mankind. Therefore, Therefore this day may be well signified by the tenth day of the seventh month. In which day the very quiet and rest was granted unto all faithful people. And the perfytenes of the law (which is charity) was manifestly this day declared in this high work of the redemption of man.  
It followeth in the letter, 
Dies c●●leberrimus  Erit vobis dies iste coeleber●●imus, & vocabitur sanctus. This day ye shall keep most solemn, most high and festival, and shallbe called holy. Who is he that doth not see this day of very duty to be kept for a high day? for a holy day? And so to be called, and so to be taken, and so to be accounted, and so to be kept and holden? In which day (as the year goeth about) Pascha nostrum immolatus est Christus, 
1▪ Corin 5.  our Paschal lamb Chryst & god was offered, by whose blood the world was redeemed. In this day of the immolation of the very paschal lamb Chryst, Israel was delivered from the servitute of the egyptians. Pharaoh the devil with all his company and malign power, were drowned in the red See, were overcome, suffocate, vanquished, & utterly dyscomfete by the blood and water that gushed and ran out of the side and most tender heart of this our paschal lamb jesus Chryst.  

Luce. 11. Fortis armatus.  This day Fortis ille armatus, that strong giant the devil, which Luke writeth of, which was armed and accompanied with so great a multitude of sinners of all sorts. 
Arma. Galea.  Whose armour are Luxuriosi, lecherous people. His helmet & heed piece Superbi, proud people. His bow Detractores, detractors, slanderers and backbiters: 
Areus.  Who shooteth their arrows far and wide, and woundeth men in there name and fame that are absent and far of. 
Sagitte.  His arrows are Infamia, Infamy & slander, backbiting, detractorius words and ill reports. 
Scutum.  His buckler or shield are hypocrite, hypocrites, dissymulers, setters forth of holiness by outward pretence and show, but the devil of hypocrisy is within them. This great and mighty gyante, which so strongly by violence, 
Gygas.  kept A trium suum as saith the evangelist, mightily kept his castle the world, kept it by tyranny, by violencye and strength, from the first fall of man till this day of Chryst: but was as on this day utterly overcome, overthrown, vanquished and convict, utterly discomfette and cast under foot: and maked so feeble & weak, that now he is not able to overcome the least person that is, unless it be he that will willingly be overcome as saint Jerome saith, Debilis est hostis, qui vincere non potest nisi volentem. 
jeronimus.  He is a weak enemy and can overcome none, utterly none, but those that will willingly be overcome, as the Apostle also doth witness unto the Corinthyans', saying, God is faithful in all his promises. For he doth not suffer you to be tempted further than ye may bear: but ever is ready with his gracious assistance and help, either not to suffer the temptation to be more than thou mayest resist or overcome, either shall so temperate and mitigate it, that thou mayest resist it, if thou call upon him for help.  
Could the devil think you overcome saint Katheryn, saint Margarite, which were but of xiiii and xv. years of age or there abouts? Nay nay nay. No neither the devil, neither the world, neither the prisons, neither the yngyns of wheels, neither the fire, neither the sword could overcome these two young damysels: but strongly they did overcome the devil and all his bend, as may appear to those that will reed there lives which are red in the church, as when Maxencius being an Instrument unto the devil, persuading saint katheryn from the faith of Chryst unto idolatry, by himself, by rethorecyans and learned men of the highest sort of learning, but neither with his fair promises, neither with his threatenings, neither with his tortures, engence of the wheels, neither with their learning in rhetoric nor other wise, could revoke her from the faith of Chryst, but ever she said fat●●or me nihil aliud scire nisi Christum deum esse, & hunc crucifixum. I knowledge me to know none other thing whereby I shallbe saved but by jesus Chryst the sonn●● of god, and he to be crucified. And by his crucifixion and death to be saved. None other ways to be saved, but by his death and Passion.  
And how saint Margarete that young damsel overcame the devil, & his member & instrument Olibrium, which neither with his citations, neither with his fair promises, neither with his sharp threatenyngꝭ, neither with enprysonmentes, neither with passions nor torments, could neither persuade her to his fleshly voluptuous desire, neither to fall to his idolatry, neither yet any ways to forsake her spiritual spouse jesus Chryst: but said, As Chryst hath suffered death and passion for us, so shall I most gladly suffer for him. Thus both of them being but damyselles and maidens and of very tender age: strongly overcame the devil and all his members, & all their temptations.  
It followeth in the former letter, A stronger than he came. etc. A stronger than he came saith Luke, a stronger. Fortior eo venit. There came a stronger than he was. Who was that? Chryst our champion, christ our heed and captain. He fought for us this day a battle, & was sore wounded & slain. But by his wounds, by his Passion, by his death & blood: he wan the battle, he had the victory, he overcame his enemy, he spoiled and took from him all his armour, artylery, power & men, in whom all his trust & comfort stood in. Arcum contrivit & confregit arma & scuta combussit igni. s. infernali. 
Psal. 45.  Chryst braake his enemies bow, Chryst destroyed his armour, Chryst burned his buckler, Chryst took away all his power and strength, Chryst put him to flight. This day Chryst triumphed upon the cross, and every way overcame this our ancient & cruel enemy the devil. 
Princeps huiꝰmundi  This day the prince of darkness the prince of this world the devil, by victory of the cross was repelled, put out, and banished. This day Chryst with his might & power descended to the hells in his soul & godhead, and broke open the gates as ye will say: entered the prisons, took out spolia belli, the spoil of the field, the spoil of the battle: animas sanctorum, the souls of the holy fathers and mothers, whom the devil by his tyranny, unjustly there kept. This day christ by his cross as with a key, opened the gaates of Paradyse, & brought thither these holy souls afore spesyfyed, and gave them thereof possession, restoring them to their right inheritance.  
What shall I say more? I say this day the great mediator between god & man jesus Chryst, very god & very man, did put away, raase & cansell Cyrographum illud, that write that obligation of sin, which was written annenst us, whereof th'apostle to the Collocensis doth testify saying, Delens nobis oina delicta. quod adversus nos erat. Cyrographum decreti quod erat contrarium nobis. 
Col●●os. ●●.  And Chryst canceled this obligation & blotted it clean out, and broke the seal, & put away sin, & put away all such title whereby the devil mought any ways calenge or claim us. Ye and pleased the father and reconciled us to him, so pacifying his displeasure by shedding his blood upon the cross.  
What feast therefore is more festival or aught more solemnly to be kept then the feast of this day? or more to be had in reverence? And for that there is no commandment for this day to be kept holy, I think it to be, because every man, woman, ye & child having reason: are moved in their own consciences, grounded upon a great zeal, love and entire devotion, this day amongis all other days of the year, to keep holy: in remembrance of this most blessed passion, in remembrance of the great benefits that came to man by the same.  
For if the universal church doth solempnyse and keep holy that day in which apostle, a martyr, or virgin departeth out of the labour, toiling, & vexation of this miserable world unto rest, to glory & joy: how moche more ought we then solemnly & devoutly to keep this day holy? in which our heed, our saviour, the heed of the hole church jesus Chryst, went out of the world to the father by passion & death? and brought into Paradyse with him an infinite number of holy patriarkis, prophets, martyrs, confessors, virgins & beats of all sorts? Not only delivered them from the labour & toiling of this miserable world, but also delivered them out of that dungeon & prison of hell, & brought them to the glory & fruition of the joy in heaven, by the glorious victory by him done as on this day upon the Cross?  
This is therefore a day to be sanctified, to be kept holy. This is Paschalis dies, the pachal day, the pash day, the day that Chryst passed out of this transitory world to rest. And what soever he be that goeth out of this laborious life to rest & joy, he goeth unto the said rest and joy by the virtue of the cross and passion thereon sacrificed, as on this day. Here was the ground, here was the beginning, here was the foundation & occasion of all our joy and glory we look for.  
This day the Cross was maked an instrument whereby the gaates of hell (as ye will say) were opened, the stocks broken, the bands loosed, the darkness expelled, the pain voided, and bondage put to liberty. This Cross as on this day, was like to the staff of David, with which as he overcame Golyas, so Chryst in this cross overcame the devil. This Cross this day was made the key, whereby the gates of Paradyse & heaven were opened. This cross was this day ma●●de the standard erect & set up in sign & token of eternal victory. Whereby our spiritual enemies are daily put to flight & dyscomfet. Whereby our hope & comfort is fortified. Whereby we are defended from the power of the malign spirits. From their temptations, from all their advaunces, from all their pomps. This cross was maked this day the way whereby we are brought ab exilio ad patriam, from exile to our country. This cross with the passion of Chryst wrought upon the same is maked this day our assurance whereby we shall attain the everlasting glory. So that now it appeareth to all the world, that this day is festival, holy, gracious and glorious. A day to be hallowed and kept holy. A day to give laudes thanks and praisings to god for his great beneficial acts showed unto us and for us as on this day.  
Some percase will object & say, if this day be so solemn as we speak of: 
Obiectio  why do the Church then maake this day such tokens of mourning as it doth▪ If it be so high a day, where are the signs & tokens of the feast? where is the solemn ringing of bells to matins, to mass, to evensong, to divine service? Where are the solempnytyes of the masses said & song, as are in the other festival days? Where are the solemn songs of discant, pricked song, faburden, square note, regalles & organs? Where are your warbling voices▪ reeches & pleasant reports in your syngynges? where are the rich ornaments of the altars the rich vestiments, coops, plaate and jewels, wont upon such days to be set upon the altars? Where is the great welfare, the great dynners', the double service, the delicate meats & drinks on such festival days wont to be used? Where are your musical Instruments of all sorts, and your blowynges to dinner with trumpetttes? Where are your haps, your lutes, your cymbals, your flutes, your taberettes your, drunssades, and dowcymers? Where are your vials, your rebecks, your shakebushes: and your sweet soft pleasant pipes? Where are your merry communications, your merry jests, fables and taales wont to be had at your table for merry pastime on such days? All, all this is put under foot, all is this day in a muetie, in a silence. All such things are on this day turned upsoodowne, turned in to sadness, into mournings, and into dolorous lamentable fashions.  
No priest this day doth celebrate, but only one in every church: and he to be the greatest priest of authority within the same Church: in sign and token, that Chryst which was Magnus sacerdos secundum ordine Melchisedech, 
Hebreo. 6.  the great priest after the order of Melchisedech, did suffer this day, and offered up himself upon the cross to the father, to the father of heaven for man.  
These solemn songs and instruments of the church, this day are turned In Luctum & Lamentum, in to mournings and lamentable tunes, in to flats and faaes, in to baase low breestꝭ, in to strange tunes, in to submysse soft and sober mourning voices: so outwardly to show, the inward mourning & inward heaviness of our hearts: mourning and lamenting this panguyous Passion of christ, as men ready to suffer with him and for him, as true penitentꝭ crying to be perteners of this Passion and death, crying to have remission of our sins. crying Ignosce pater, ignosce pater, 
Luce. 23.  forgive us our sins Lord, forgive us our sins father of heaven. And for all other kyndis of musical instruments, this day we do use prayer. devout prayer. crying to god, calling for mercy, diligently suing for remission of our sins. And even whiles the meat and drink is in our mouths, to remember the aisel and gall that the jews this day gave him when he cried on the cross Scitio. I am a thirst.  
This day for the precious apparel, some weareth sack cloth, some here next unto their bodies. Some goeth wolwarde, some baare legged, baare footed like great penitentꝭ, & not like as men goeth a holidays in precious apparel. But black, black: in black in token of our sins, for which Chryst died.  
And for delicate meats and drinks, some fasteth this day to only bread and drink, some to bread & water, some to fruits and potages, some abstaineth till night, as their bodies are able to bear every one after his or their devotions, and abilytyes of their bodies. And for mirth and merry communication, some are this day in continual silence and contemplation▪ in secret and inward remembrance and study of this glorious passion of Chryst. how, what, what manner, what panguyes, and under what fashion he suffered. Some in continal prayer, every one after such devotion as god giveth him grace. This is the manner and fashion of keeping the solemnity and feast of this day. But all these outward doings, of silence, prayer, contemplation, fasting, abstynencye, going wolwarde, baare legged or baare footed with all such other: if it be not done with an inward mind, with an inward devotion, with a true heart, a true faith to god and for his love: I will not give a straw for it. If it be not done for his love, it is not vailable, not profitable, nor meritorious. Beware of dissimulation, for if that come abroad, all is marred, all is dashed.  
But why is this unwont manner of solempnytye observed and kept this day only, contrary to all other days of the year? I think verily that five causes may be alleged and assigned for it, 
5. cause condicionis huius diei.  videlicet Legis praeceptio, Peccatorum nostrorum deploratio, Supra mortem Christi compassio. Exterioris solennisationis translatio. Et excellentissime festivitatis summa religio.  
The first cause is, as it is written in the law of the solemnity and feast of the propitiation, as a figure of this day, Sabbatum requietionis est. Affligeres animas vestras. Again, Omnis anima quae non fuerit afflicta in hac die, exterminabitur de plebe. This is the Sabaoth day, 
Sabbatum requietionis.  the day of rest: This is the day in which ye shall afflict and punish yourselves. Ainas vestras, your souls, your mindis, aswell as your bodies. Again, Every man that doth not this day afflict & punish himself, shall be banished & put out from my people saith god. See ye now whether the manner of the observation of this day kept by christian people, do not agree and quadrate with this letter, even as it is written to be kept in the law. saying that no day in the year, man doth so well abstain as this day: Ye both from vile works of the body, & also from sin: keeping this day holy, affycting themselves aswell in body as in soul, in fasting and prayer, in going some wollwarde, some in here, in kneelings, prostrations and knockynges their breestes: in lifting up their hearts to god, and inwardly lamenting their sins, with many other ways afflycting and punishing themselves this day afore all other days in the year. Ye and do keep this day high and holy, and under such a fashion, that they do specially abstain this day, from such kind of sins, as they do in other holy days most offend in. As in multiloquye, stultiloquye, scurrilytye. From jangling and moche language, from foolish and scurrilous speech, from wanton words, from light behaviour, from swearing and idle oaths, from perjury and blaphemye, from voluptuous meats and drinks, from filthy and fleshly living, & such other usual sins.  
This day with all diligencye that they can, they do avoid and flee utterly (for the most pa●●re) all kind of sins that are in other times most used & haunted: and studiously do use themselves in virtue, in prayer, in devotion, in meditation and contemplation, in studying Chryst, in devout remembrance of his painful passion and the great benefits of the same: ever crying & calling upon god for mercy, for remission, for indulgency and pardon of their sins, and to be partners of the high merits of this most blessed Passion, and that they may be thereby purged, cleansed, justified, and thereby brought unto the inheritance of heaven. And under this christian behaviour good people do this day holily, devoutly & penitently pass their time in holiness, in contemplation, in prayer and penance. In somuch that he or she is wondered upon, ye despised and reject amongs the good people, that doth not use themselves better and more devoutly this day, than an other day. That do not this day use themselves more godly & chrystyanly, than any other day.  
The second cause of the solompnyte & devotion of this day is Deploratio peccatorum nostrorum. That we should this day lament, weep & mourn our own sins. For if every man and woman do deeply consider the enormities and magnitude of their offences towards God, which were and are so great and heinous, that it was necessary for the son of god to suffer for doing of them away: we shall have occasion enough, inwardly to lament & weep our said sins. For scripture saith. 
1 Petri. ●●.  Christus mortuus est pro peccatis nostris, justus pro iniustis. christ died for our sins▪ the righteous for the unrighteous, the good man for the sinner, Chryst for man. Chryst I say died for our sins. Not only for the sins which such a singular person or such a man doth: but for the sins of the hole world, which were done from the beginning hitherto, and that shall be done to the worlds end.  
The other three causes why this unwont manner of this solemnity is under this fashion observed & kept this only day, I shall reserve it till the next year or some other convenient time as shall be thought most expedient for the audience. And in mean season shall exhort you all in our Lord God, as of old custom hath here this day been used, every one of you or ye depart, with most enter devotion, kneeling tofore our saviour lord god, this our jesus Chryst, which hath suffered so moche for us, to whom we are so much bounden, who lieth in yonder sepulchre: In honour of him, of his passion & death, and of his v. wounds, to say .v. Pater noster .v. Aves, and one Crede. That it may please his merciful goodness to make us partners of the merits of this his most glorious Passion, blood and death. Who have you in his merciful keeping and preservation, jesus Chryst, Qui regnat cum pat & spiritu sancto per infinita secula. AMEN.  
DEO GRATIAS. Dominus dedit.   

¶ Imprinted at London in Paul's Church yard at the sign of the maidens heed by Thomas Petyt.